Kristen Elaine Allen

Kristen Elaine Allen, 27, of Cary, North Carolina, passed away on August 25, 2026, surrounded by the family she loved so deeply. Kristen was born on May 29, 1999, at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina.

Perhaps fittingly for someone whose life was so profoundly shaped by her heart, Kristen had one of the biggest hearts of anyone who knew her. She loved deeply and without reservation, with a remarkable gift for making friends feel like family and making the people she loved feel as though they were the most important person in the room. So many people considered Kristen their best friend, which may be the greatest testament to the way she loved.

Growing up, Kristen enjoyed horseback riding, gymnastics, Girl Scouts, and was active in the youth group at Gray Rock United Methodist Church. She also spent many years as a competitive dancer. Wherever Kristen went, she had a remarkable way of creating family. Her youth group became family, just as her fellow dancers and their mothers became an extended family she treasured. It was a pattern that would continue throughout her life: Kristen didn't simply make friends; she gathered people into her heart and made them family.

Kristen also had a heart for serving others and participated in many mission trips, both locally and out of state, as well as several trips to the Dominican Republic, including one summer serving as a mission intern. Wherever those experiences took her, Kristen's natural warmth drew people to her, and she formed especially meaningful bonds with the children she met.

Family was always at the center of Kristen's world. She shared an extraordinary bond with her mother, Kim, who devoted herself to giving Kristen the fullest and happiest life possible. Through every adventure, every dream, every celebration, and every difficult chapter, Kim was her constant, always supporting her, encouraging her, and standing faithfully by her side. No matter how old Kristen became, whenever she was sick, scared, or simply needed comfort, she wanted her "Mommy," and her Mommy was always there. They were mother and daughter, best friends and confidantes, and truly "two peas in a pod."

When Kim and TJ married in 2022, Kristen proudly stood beside her mom as her maid of honor, having enthusiastically given them her blessing. She welcomed TJ into their family with an open heart and, entirely on her own, began calling him "Dad." It was a title he never expected or asked for, and hearing Kristen call him Dad became one of the greatest honors and privileges of his life. To him, she would always be his "Lil Bit" and his "Kiddo."

Kristen also shared an especially close bond with her grandparents, George and Barbara Summers. Their home became a second home to her, and their love and steadfast support remained a constant throughout her life. George held a particularly special place in Kristen's heart, always showing up for her, including proudly accompanying her to dances and other special moments. His passing in April of this year was a tremendous loss for Kristen. She also deeply loved her Uncle Mike and cousins David, Thomas, and Eli, who were an important part of the close-knit family she treasured.

In the fall of 2018, Kristen met Zachary Cantrell Allen, and it did not take long for them to recognize that they had found their person in one another. Their first date was to see How the Grinch Stole Christmas, beginning a little tradition that would remain with them throughout their years together, as the Grinch became an enduring part of their Christmas celebrations. From then on, they were rarely far apart. Though different in so many ways, Kristen and Zach complemented one another perfectly. He became her best friend, her calm, her constant, and the steady presence by her side through life's greatest joys and most difficult moments.

On June 3, 2024, Kristen and Zach married, beginning a new chapter in a love story that had already grown over nearly six years together. They traveled, attended countless concerts, and filled their lives with adventures, experiences, laughter, and memories that Kristen treasured. Those who knew and loved Kristen and Zach believe they were truly soulmates, and Kristen's family could not have asked for a more loving and devoted partner for her. Together they made their home in Cary with their beloved pets: Ruby, their dog; Yoshi, their snake; and Bullet, their gecko.

In Zach's younger brother, Jacob, Kristen found the little brother she had always wanted. She proudly and constantly referred to him as her "little brother," and Jacob found in Kristen a big sister, confidante, and trusted source of advice. Whether he had a problem to talk through, news to share, or simply needed her opinion, Kristen was often the first person he called. She was fiercely protective of him and never shy about offering her thoughts, especially when it came to the young women he was dating, or occasionally the ones she thought he should be dating. Between the two of them, secrets were always safe. Their relationship was filled with trust, laughter, honesty, and the unmistakable love of a brother and sister.

Kristen's family is profoundly grateful to Zach's parents, Allison and Johnny, and their extended family for loving Kristen as their own and welcoming her wholeheartedly into their family. They gave Kristen so many opportunities for adventure, travel, laughter, and experiences she treasured, while also providing unwavering love, kindness, and support through the most difficult times. We could not have asked for a better family to walk beside Kristen and all of us through both the joys and the unimaginable heartbreak, and we will forever be grateful to have them as part of our family.

We are equally grateful to the countless friends, coworkers, medical professionals, and extended family members who loved Kristen, prayed for her, cared for her, and walked beside her throughout her life.

Kristen found another family at Poppy's Salon in Durham, where she worked as a hairdresser and truly loved what she did. Her coworkers were far more than coworkers. They were family. She talked about them constantly, often calling home at the end of the day to share stories about the salon. She especially treasured the trips they took together and the memories they made outside of work.

Kristen's life required extraordinary courage. At just 12 years old, she received her first heart transplant on December 7, 2011. More than twelve years later, on July 31, 2024, she received the incredible gift of a second heart transplant. Through every challenge, setback, procedure, and recovery, Kristen demonstrated a strength and determination that inspired everyone around her. Yet she never allowed her medical journey to define who she was. Kristen was not simply a young woman who needed two hearts. She was a young woman with an enormous heart who happened to need two of them.

Kristen is survived by her devoted husband, Zachary Cantrell Allen of Cary; her parents, Kimberly and TJ Jones; her beloved "Mom Mom," Barbara Summers; her brother-in-law, Jacob Allen; her uncle, Mike Summers; and her cousins, David, Thomas, and Eli Summers. She was preceded in death by her biological father, Warren Hicks; her paternal grandparents, Phoebe and Wilbur Hicks; and her maternal grandfather, George Summers III.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made in Kristen's honor to either the Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA), which supports children and young adults facing life-saving transplants and their families, or The Y'all Squad, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing immediate relief and assistance to communities affected by natural disasters.

In her final hours, when words were no longer possible, Kristen still found a way to tell those gathered around her that she loved them, to ask for hugs, and to make sure the people she loved knew what was in her heart. It was a fitting reflection of the way Kristen lived her entire life: loving deeply, fighting fiercely, and holding tightly to the people she loved most.

Kristen spent much of her life teaching everyone around her what it meant to have a strong heart. In the end, however, it was never the strength of her physical heart that made Kristen extraordinary.

It was the enormous heart with which she loved us all.