Judith E. Allen
Jan. 25, 1921-July 18, 2016
Palo Alto, California
Judith E. Allen, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, passed away in Menlo Park at the age of 95. She is survived by her two daughters Kristina Pikke and Heidi Elise Allen; two grandchildren, Sean and Tristan Conway; and her beloved cats Tiggy and Maz.
Judith was a native New Yorker, born in January 25, 1921, the eldest daughter of Norwegian immigrants and grew up on the Hudson River. She became the first person in her family to achieve a college education receiving her Bachelor of Arts at the Cooper Union University in June 1944. This was a historic period in the world of art and advertising in New York. She was a graphic artist, painter and art director before being called into service by the US government to help with the efforts in post-war Europe during the reconstruction. She was an art teacher and recreation supervisor developing programs and training personnel in Germany. There, she met her future husband, Kenneth Paige Allen, who was also stationed there. They were later married in 1956 in London and celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2006. Kenneth P. Allen was a language arts teacher at Jordan Junior High School, part of the Palo Alto Unified School District, for over 25 years.
Judith returned to a creative career again in the 1980s in the field of architecture, working with the Palo Alto firm Richard Elmore Design and later was hired by Intel, Cordis Dow and Versatec as a facilities planner. Her final position was at Lockheed Corporation as a manufacturing engineer began in 1983, and for five years she wore her yellow hardhat with pride, retiring at age 62. She enjoyed growing vegetables and traveling with her husband Kenneth in their 1956 Red English Morgan to car rallies up and down the coast of California. Judith was active in her church, Trinity Lutheran of Palo Alto, where she was a member of the Alter Guild and the head of the Building Design committee. Judith leaves behind an archive of drawings, photographs and other works planned for a future exhibition.
Tags: arts/media
