Marian E. Allen

Marian Elizabeth (Weisheit) Allen, 92, passed away peacefully on May 5, 2019. Born in Detroit, MI, on October 9, 1926, she was the daughter of the late Hilbert and Grace (Niehaus) Weisheit. She was preceded in death by her parents along with her siblings, Russell Weisheit and Dorothy (Weisheit) Martin. Although she spent her childhood living on farms in rural Indiana, she inherited her father’s love of travel. At age 18, Marian, her sister and a friend travelled to the western US on their own, enjoying an adventure to Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Marian’s love of travel continued throughout her life. Family vacations involved long driving trips to national parks, with the Rocky Mountains being her favorite destination. Over the years, she and Jim visited Alaska, Canada, the Panama Canal and most of the lower 48 states. Marian passed her love of travel on to her children and grandchildren. Throughout her professional career, Marian worked as a secretary for various organizations. She retired in 1989 from Moore Business Forms in Fort Wayne. The timing of her retirement was heavily influenced by the arrival of eight grandchildren between 1987 - 1994! Marian was extremely proud of her long marriage to Jim along with the success and happiness of her children and grandchildren. She and Jim were very active members of their congregation, Good Shepherd United Methodist Church. They shared their time and talents in many church and other volunteer activities. She taught and lived by the mantra, “If you can’t say anything nice about someone, don’t say anything at all.” Marian lived out her faith by being a good mother and friend. She was helpful in quiet and thoughtful ways. She had a very calming demeanor and often convinced others that what they thought was a problem would turn out okay. Marian is survived by her devoted husband of 66 years, Jim; sons, Bruce (Linda) Allen and David (Kathy) Allen; daughters, Susan (Thom) Allen and Beth (Doug) Opell; grandchildren Annette (Milt) Sluder, Ryan Opell, Derek (Jamie) Allen, Alex Opell, Grace Saunders, Scott Opell, Marielle Saunders, and Michael Saunders; and one great-grandson, Noah. A visitation for Marian will be held Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home, 6131 St Joe Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46835. A funeral service will occur Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 2:00 PM, at Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home, 6131 St Joe Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46835. Final resting will occur Saturday, May 11, 2019 at Concordia Gardens, 5300 Lake Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46815. Contributions in Marian's memory may be made to Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 4700 Vance Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN 46815 or to a charity of your choice. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HockemeyerMillerFH.com for the Allen family.