Della Allen

This is the announcement of the passing of my beloved mother Della Marie Allen.

Della faced tremendous challenges throughout her life. From a young age, she struggled with painful health conditions that only grew more complicated with time. Despite her illnesses, she worked hard to maintain her household - a quiet act of strength that often went unseen. She loved her home in Chico and fought hard to stay there, even as her health pulled her back and forth between hospitals and care homes, places she never wanted to be.

Throughout these difficult years, her long-time partner, Ron Morgan, remained by her side, helping her stay in the place she loved with her loyal dog, Tootsie. When her health eventually became too much for Ron to manage alone, we found a home nearby with a beautiful garden view - a place we thought could bring her peace. Sadly, she passed away just a week after arriving there.

Della raised, mostly on her own, three boys - striving always to create a good home and life for them. It wasn't perfect - no home is - but she gave more than she herself had growing up.

Although her two younger sons (Brett and Shawn Allen) became estranged from her roughly thirty years ago, a day never went by that she didn't think of them. She carried them in her heart and included them in her prayers every single day.

In her writings, Della described herself as a sweet, loving little girl, wanting nothing more than affection, attention, and praise - to feel the warmth of a mother's and father's arms, to hear she was special and loved. It's clear from her words that she did not always receive what she longed for. Instead, she was hurt by the shortcomings of her parents, wounds that stayed with her throughout her life.

Our family, like many, carries scars from the past. If we are lucky, healing happens, and the cycle breaks. But often, healing is incomplete - and the longing for love continues.

Della often felt vulnerable, afraid of losing the independence and joy she found in travel, in meeting new people, in experiencing new things. Her cries for help could sometimes sound demanding or harsh, and in our human imperfections, we didn't always hear the heart behind them.

My mother and I had our own struggles too. But through it all, she showed me something lasting: that real forgiveness comes through love.

Today, I want to remember Della not just for her hardships, but for her longing for love, her resilience, and her deep hope for peace. I believe she has finally found that peace - a place of warmth, light, and unconditional love.

May she rest now, free from pain and fear, and may she be surrounded by the love she always sought.

Your loving son, Scott James Henry