JoAnn Allen

JoAnn Allen, 83, passed away peacefully on August 18, 2024, surrounded by the love of her family.

Born Wilma Ray Teachey on July 7, 1941, to Frances Ann Murphy and Willie Ray Teachey, she carried a quiet certainty about her identity from a young age — declaring as a pre-teen that "JoAnn" was simply her name. At 28, she made it official.

JoAnn was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved stepfather, Cecil L. Smith, and her two older sisters, Cecilia B. Taplin, who passed in 2011, and Theresa A. Kilgore, who passed just one month before her in July 2024. She is survived by her five children: Timothy P. Allen and his wife Robin, Angela M. Moore and her husband Robert, Sharon E. Boucher and her husband Donald, Scott P. Allen and his wife Christine, and Todd C. Allen and his wife Pamela. She also leaves behind 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

JoAnn was a deeply emotional spirit who found beauty everywhere she looked — in nature, in animals, in the faces of the people she loved, and in the creative pursuits that filled her life. She was a gifted artist, seamstress, writer, and photographer who arranged flowers, produced wedding videography, painted, drew, and decorated cakes — each endeavor an expression of the joy and passion she poured into everything she touched. She was a devoted Christmas enthusiast whose handcrafted touches — including the white doves she spent hours sewing to adorn the family tree — turned holidays into something magical. Her gardens were her sanctuary, and she was never afraid of the work it took to make something beautiful. That same determination extended to her education — having left high school before graduating, she later earned her GED and went on to complete enough college coursework to constitute a degree, a quiet achievement she carried with great personal pride.

She loved movement in all its forms — ballet, jazz, and modern dance, figure skating, skiing, racquetball, and aerobics. Each pursuit got her whole heart.

In her own words, "My children have always been, and always will be, the most important aspect of my life." Being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were central to who she was, and she loved her family deeply. Each relationship was its own — varying in closeness and shape — but love was always at the center. Her oldest granddaughter offered a glimpse into their bond: "She'd stay on the phone for hours and we'd talk about nothing and everything. She was a respite in the storm of life."

JoAnn was an animal lover to her core, having cherished more than 20 dogs over the course of her lifetime. For many years, her license plate read, "5 CORGIS" — a proud tribute to her five inseparable companions, Rocky, Morgan, Simon, Bear, and Jasper, whom she loved like family. She often said her dogs gave her the gift of unconditional love, which she treasured deeply. Her beloved Murphy and Ollie were her companions at the end of her life, with Ollie at her bedside in her final days, bringing her great comfort.

In those final days, JoAnn spoke of seeing the puzzle pieces of her life coming together — the connections, the love, the fullness of it all. She felt it was a perfect, peaceful ending. Although she wished she could stay, she faced her passing with extraordinary grace. She now rests in the peace and comfort of her Savior's arms, home at last in heaven.

She will not be forgotten.

A Memorial Service was held in her honor on May 17, 2025, where family and friends gathered to celebrate her life and the many ways she touched their hearts. She was laid to rest at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Williamsburg, Virginia, where she is among the beauty of nature she so dearly loved.