Doris Hoffman Allen

Doris Hoffman Allen was born on July 21, 1931 to Mary Agnes and William Ashby Hoffman of Alexandria, Virginia. She graduated from George Washington High School in 1948, where she worked on The Surveyor newspaper and co-hosted the radio show, Time Out for Teens. Ms. Allen obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the College of William and Mary in 1952. She was a member of Kappa Delta sorority.

Ms. Allen spent her professional life as a defense analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, where she worked for ten years. It was there that she met her husband and love of her life, Dr. Edward Allen of Stony Point and New York, NY. The couple married at St. Mary’s Church in Alexandria in 1963. They settled in McLean, Virginia, where they raised their two children, Edward L. Allen, Jr. (Larry) and Anne. In 1985, the family moved to Arlington, Virginia where Mr. Allen passed away in 1989. Ms. Allen retuned to McLean several years later, until her move to Texas.

Ms. Allen was active member of the community. Organizations she volunteered with, and was president of, include the St. John’s Women’s Council, St. John’s PTO, Holly Hill Garden Club, and the Washington Golf Ninettes. Ms. Allen loved politics and became involved in her local Republican Women’s Club. In the 1984 election, the Fairfax County Republican Committee named her the number one precinct chairman in her district. In later years, she enjoyed being an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion at St. John’s was active in a local a Cursillo group. She also joined the Arlington Neighbor’s Club and especially enjoyed meeting authors in the book section meetings. She was an avid bridge player throughout her life and enjoyed traveling, most notably to China, Italy, Prague and Budapest.

After suffering a major stroke in 2012, Ms. Allen moved to Austin, Texas to be closer to her daughter’s family. There, she enjoyed Lake Travis, touring the San Antonio missions and the painted churches of the Hill Country. Ms. Allen suffered several stroke events in Austin that severely limited her ability to move and speak. In 2015, Ms. Allen joined her daughter’s family, moving to Houston and became a resident of the Silverado Memory Care Center in Sugar Land, TX. It was there that she passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 9, 2016.

Ms. Allen is survived by her son Larry Allen and his wife, Helen, of McLean, VA, and her daughter Anne Allen Kennedy and her husband, Ted Kennedy, of Houston, Texas. Her grandchildren are Elizabeth Allen of Norfolk, VA, Alesia and Steven Allen of McLean, VA, and Liam and Ashby Kennedy of Houston, Texas. She is also survived by her brother, John Hoffman and his wife Moneta, VA.