Dorcas McAlister Allen
Dorcas McAlister Allen, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, transitioned peacefully from this life on December 29, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. She was 85.
Dorcas was born in Anderson, South Carolina, to Roy Dewey McAlister and Mary Elva Junkins McAlister. She was the eighth of their 10 children, and the last surviving. After high school, Dorcas moved to Ardmore, Pennsylvania, to live with her oldest sister. She met her future husband, George, at a pool party outside of Philadelphia. They were married on Valentine’s Day in 1959.
Dorcas was bright, vivacious, self-sufficient, forthright, disciplined, energetic, and creative. She was a skilled seamstress and loved to do needlework. She had a good singing voice. In high school, she was known as the “Doris Day of Anderson.” She was athletic and was an avid walker throughout her life, even after her Parkinson’s diagnosis, traveling widely with her husband and family. She loved birds, gardening, decorating, and she collected porcelain swans.
Dorcas was an active volunteer with the Philanthropic Educational Organization and the Junior League of Philadelphia. She was a gracious hostess and loyal friend. Professionally, she worked as an administrative assistant at Swarthmore College and Haverford College. In middle age, she earned her baccalaureate degree in English from Rosemont College, studying abroad in Italy. After retiring, Dorcas and her husband moved from Wayne, Pennsylvania, to St. Louis, Missouri, to be near family.
Dorcas was a faithful Presbyterian and an active member of the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, the Wayne Presbyterian Church, and, later, the Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church in Missouri. Her Christian faith sustained her.
Among those who cherish her memory are her husband, George Morrison Allen Jr.; daughter Kristine Allen Kerr and her husband Raymond B. Kerr of St. Louis, Missouri, and daughter Lynne Allen Avram and her husband Wesley Damian Avram of Scottsdale, Arizona; and grandchildren, James Allen Kerr, Megan Elizabeth Kerr, Andrew Damian Avram, and Paul Allen Avram.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Please celebrate her life here and here.