Jerry Arthur Allen

Jerry Arthur Allen died on February 5, 2026, in Clayton, North Carolina. He was one week away from his 84th birthday. The timing of his passing would’ve been fine enough by him, had he been given a say — he never cared much for celebrating his birthday.

He was born on February 12, 1942, to George and Olive Allen. He lived most of his life in Johnston County, except for a stint in Wayne County, where he studied religion at Mount Olive College. At the time of his death, he was a resident of Clayton — the town he lived in longest and cherished most.

Jerry married the first love of his life, Ruth Barefoot, in 1961. It was no secret that Ruth’s father struggled with alcoholism. Each time Jerry would arrive to pick Ruth up for a date and find her father passed out on the porch, he would sneak money from her father’s pocket to give to her mother.

Together, Jerry and Ruth raised two sons, Jerry Jr. and Jamie. Each insists he was the favorite, but of course, Jerry Sr. and Ruth loved them with equal, fierce devotion. Both sons feel immeasurably blessed to have had them as parents.

Ruth died in 2003 from a brain tumor that stole her abilities and then her life in just two months. During her final weeks, Jerry cared for Ruth at their home, in the bedroom they’d shared. It had been her wish to spend her last days there, and what Ruth wanted, Jerry gave her. He was by her side when she left for heaven.

Jerry later married the second love of his life, Jan, on June 10, 2006, at Trinity Church of Clayton. He wooed her with dinners at Pizza Hut and by once sitting with her, jacketless in freezing weather, for hours waiting for a veterinarian to tend to her horses.

The couple enjoyed traveling. Well, Jan liked traveling, and Jerry liked Jan. If the weather was bad, however, Jan could forget it — Jerry wasn’t about to leave the cruise ship and mess up his hair. Any time Jan went shopping, though, he’d wait in the car for hours without a single word of complaint. What Jan wanted, Jerry gave her. She was by his side when he left for heaven. It was her great honor to give him what he’d given Ruth.

Jerry was not one for idleness, and he held many jobs over the years. After graduating from Four Oaks High School, he trained as a barber and worked in a barbershop on Main Street in downtown Clayton. He was so popular that he perfected the ability to eat his lunch — usually a sandwich, sometimes with an orange Tru-Ade — in just four bites, eager to get back to his clients. This chapter may also help explain his lifelong insistence that his hair be perfectly styled at all times. He also spent time as a short-haul truck driver, in the produce department of several grocery stores, and as the owner of a residential gutter business.

Jerry’s true calling, however, was ministry. Ordained in his late 30s, he spent the remainder of his working days shepherding churches across Eastern North Carolina. In the pulpit, he was loud, preaching hard and shooting straight. He occasionally bruised feelings that way, but more often than not, he won people back with his steady, quiet kindness. Though he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, those around him always felt his care.

Among a lifetime of examples: Jerry gave away multiple vehicles to people in need, including his beloved 1969 Ford Thunderbird. He bought and renovated houses — he was exceptionally handy — often letting people live in them free of charge. Once, a local physician was arrested for behavior that, at the time, brought public shame and harsh judgment; Jerry sent the man flowers and remained his patient for the rest of the doctor’s career. He regularly delivered meals to people in town who needed them or were going through difficult times, and he spent many days and nights at the bedsides of people who were sick or alone. And when his clients from the barbershop died, he took his tools to the funeral parlor to give them a fresh cut for their journey home.

In all these ways and countless others, Jerry taught his sons how to care for people as Jesus did. That work does not end with his passing but lives on in all who knew him.

Jerry is survived by his devoted wife, Jan; his sons, Jerry Jr. (Donna) and Jamie (Diane); his stepdaughter, Gina; 10 grandchildren — Jerry III, Courtney, Elizabeth, Hannah, Tess, Kevin, Caleb, Josh, Jon, and Charity; and 13 great-grandchildren — Brenton, Lana Ruth, Hope, Ellie, Benaiah, Arthur Bexar, Jack, Cara, Leah, Wilder, Ezra, Eli, and Theodore. He is also survived by a handful of cats he loved dearly, though he’d never admit it; many treasured friends; and countless recipients of his humble generosity.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Olive; his sister, Faye; and his first wife, Ruth.

A visitation will be held on Monday, February 9, 2026, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Amelia Christian Church in Clayton.

The funeral service will be at the same venue beginning at 2 p.m.

Interment will follow at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Clayton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Amelia Christian Church at ameliacc.org.