News Staff

Jane Elanor Allen, age 89, of Yellville, Arkansas, died Monday, March 20, 2023. She was born September 24, 1933, in Blaunox, Pennsylvania, to the late Vera Malcolm and Charlie Cashdollar. She graduated from Aspenwall High School about 1951. She worked for five years as a secretary in a refrigeration company while her future husband was serving in the army in Germany. Jane met William (Bill) Ray Allen in Pittsburgh through a family connection and considered him to be the love of her life. On one visit back to Pennsylvania, Bill got off the airplane with wedding rings in his hand. They married in Pittsburgh on March 16, 1956, and moved to Kankakee, Illinois, where they worked in a drywall business for a few years. In 1960, they moved to Rantoul, Illinois, where they owned and operated Civic Construction Company. Jane was the brains behind the operation. Jane and Bill worked in their construction business until 1973, when they moved to Yellville, Arkansas, where Bill was raised. They then opened Allen Farms where they raised beef cattle, turkeys, and honeybees. The Allens were named the “Marion County Farm Family of the Year” in 1976. After Bill died, in 1982, she worked 20 years for McDonald’s. Through all the years of her life she was the “Kool-Aid Mom” helping to guide young people through challenging times. Jane loved participating in the First Presbyterian Church of Yellville, where she was a member since 1973. She made sure her children and grandchildren attended church every Sunday. Jane’s favorite thing in life was for all the family to gather and eat together. In fact, for many years she made her own bread, pasta, and canned her own fruit and vegetables. She only began eating mostly store bought food after her stroke in 2017. Together Jane and Bill had three children. Cindy was born in October 1958, Bill II was born in March 1960, and Nancy was born in April 1961. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband William Ray Allen, and her daughter