Obituary of Margaret L Allen

Margaret L. “Peg” Allen 83 of Iowa City died suddenly Friday, November 3, 2017, at Mercy Hospital.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service.  Visitation will be from 4 to 7 pm Tuesday at the funeral home.  Private family graveside services will take place at the North Scott Cemetery, rural Iowa City.  In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in her memory to Johnson County Humane Society or Iowa City Hospice, causes that Peg cared about.  To share a memory, thought or condolence with her family please go to the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com. 

Margaret Luella Douglass was born September 8, 1934, in West Branch, Iowa the daughter of Lee and Viola (Stevens) Douglass. “Peg” attended West Branch schools graduating with the Class of 1953.  She married Robert D. “Bob” Allen on March 13, 1955, at the West Branch United Methodist Church.  For a few years she had worked at the U of I Athletic and J.C. Pennys in Iowa City, but after the birth of their Son, Don she became a stay at home mom, caring for Don, Bob and their home.  She loved their home out in the country east of Iowa City.  The outdoors allowed her to garden both for food and her flowers, observe and on occasion take in the wild critters that roamed the woods.  Inside she was always busy sewing, knitting, crocheting, canning, cooking, baking and when she sat down, practicing on her organ.   Peg was not one to sit idle, for over 50 years she sold Avon products from her home.  She was active in the Rebekah Lodge both on the local and state level for most of her adult life, and she loved to bowl.  Not only was she active in the local and state bowling associations, one of her greatest days was when she was inducted into the National Bowling Hall of Fame in 1991. And of course an avid Hawkeye Fan, she would be the first to say “how ‘bout them Hawks!”  But most of all in her life, and the dearest to her heart was her family and dear friends, so many cherished this woman!

Her family includes her husband of over 62 years, Bob; son, Don and his wife, Teri; 4 grandchildren, Kelly Vrana (Ryan), Cassie Allen (Kris Hansen), Carly Allen and Tom Allen; and 4 great-grandchildren, Ava and Drew Vrana and Kalynn and Kylee Hansen.  Peg was preceded in her death by her parents, sister and her husband, Mary Ann and Tom Harris, and a brother-in-law, Don Shetler. 

To end with one of Peg’s quotes, “Watch Out Idiots”