Mary Allen

ALLEN, Mary Brewer, 90, of Ditchley, Va., died Sunday, December 5, 2010, surrounded by her family. Mary was born February 9, 1920 in East Hartford, Conn., to Howard and Vivienne Brewer; and was preceded in death by her husband, the Reverend Charles R. Allen; son, John Brewer Allen; grandson, 2nd Lt. Leonard M. Cowherd III; brother, Norman Brewer; and sisters, Louise Brewer and Barbara Brewer Cox. She is survived by her children, Charles R. Allen Jr. and wife, Khang, of Roanoke, Va., Mary Ann Allen Cowherd and husband, Leonard, of Culpeper, Va., Elizabeth Allen and husband, Robert A. Davenport, of Norfolk, Va., and Mark Wooster Allen of Kilmarnock. She is also survived by her sister, Harriet Brewer Welling Ford of Madison, Conn.; and many special nieces and nephews. Mary rejoiced in her grandchildren, Truc Allen of Seattle, Wash., Colby Allen Cowherd of Alexandria, Va., Laura Vivienne Cowherd Salinas of Washington, D.C., Charles Robison Cowherd of New Orleans, La., David Winks Gray of Santa Barbara, Calif., Samuel John Allen Gray of Tuscaloosa, Ala., Miranda Elizabeth Gray of Albuquerque, N.M., Robison Wills Allen of Atlanta, Ga., and Lee Brewer Allen of Charlotte, N.C. A graduate of William Hall High School in West Hartford, Conn., Wheelock College and Boston University, Mary taught kindergarten and worked as a reading specialist. Life in the church led Mary and Charles to parishes in East Orange, N.J., Faribault, Minn., Gastonia, N.C. and Casanova, Va., before settling at "Preacher's Point" in the Northern Neck of Virginia. Mary enjoyed an active life on the Chesapeake Bay gardening, swimming, bird watching and reigning in her neighborhood as "Mayor of Ditchley." She was an active member of Grace Church, Kilmarnock, a volunteer at Historic Christ Church, Irvington, and a member of the Garden Club of Virginia and Cobbs Hall Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She summered with great delight at Knollwood Beach, Old Saybrook, Conn., in cottages built by her father, a leaf tobacco farmer, in the Connecticut River Valley. The family expresses appreciation for the loving care provided by Geraldine Bea, Ruby Cook and Edith Mitchell. Memorial gifts may be made to the 2nd Lt. Leonard M. Cowherd III Memorial Scholarship Fund at Wakefield Country Day School, P.O. Box 739, Flint Hill, Va. 22627 (memo: Cowherd Scholarship), or the Grace Church Scholarship Fund at Grace Episcopal Church, 303 South Main St., Kilmarnock, Va. 22482. A memorial celebration of Mary Allen's life will be held Friday, December 10, 2010, at 1 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church, 303 South Main St., Kilmarnock, Va.


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.