Remembering Berkeley Resident Annette Roe Allen

Annette Roe Allen, 83, of Berkeley, died October 21 of natural causes while on a travel adventure in Georgia.

She was born to the late Edward and Ruth Roe, October 26, 1931, in Denver, CO. Annette graduated from Denver East High School in 1949 and received a BS in Vocational Home Economics from Colorado State University in 1953 and an MA in Counseling from San Francisco State University in 1970. She married the late Norgren Bradley Allen in 1953 in Denver and moved to Virginia where Brad trained for the US Marine Corps, then to Hawaii where he was stationed. Three years later they moved to Albany, California so Brad could attend seminary in Berkeley. In 1959 he was killed in a motorcycle accident, leaving Annette a widow with three children, and pregnant with a fourth.

Annette became a home economics teacher at Albany High School, then the counselor at Albany Middle School until she retired in 1991 after 30 years with the Albany School District.

Annette was an active member of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, worked part time for the US Census Bureau, volunteered at Alta Bates hospital and children’s read-aloud programs, played piano at home and string bass for Albany High School musicals, loved to travel and was an active member of the Contra Costa Hills club, hiking with them nearly every week.

Annette is survived by four children: Vincent Allen of Watsonville; Jeffrey Allen of Oakland; Polly Allen Gaber of Berkeley; and Bradley Allen, of Georgetown, Texas. She also is survived by ten grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at St. Alban’s, 1501 Washington Avenue in Albany on Saturday, November 28 at 11 a.m.

Obituary, photo submitted by Polly Gaber