Shirley Jean Allen

Shirley Jean Allen, age 78, passed away peacefully on April 19th, 2025, in Los Angeles, California, surrounded by love. Born on December 11, 1946, at Torrance Memorial Hospital, Shirley grew up in Southern California and spent most of her adult years in Irvine before settling in Lake Forest, where she spent the last 17 years with her beloved husband, Gary Allen.

She was the cherished daughter of Juanita and Lloyd Reeves Brennan and beloved sister to Cheryl Watson. Shirley was formerly married to Walter T. Rea, Jr., and together they brought Joy and James into the world. She was known for many years as Shirley Rea, a name many friends and former colleagues may still lovingly remember her by.

Later in life, Shirley married the love of her life, Gary Allen, which gave her two bonus daughters, Julia Zemba and Lily Allen, whom she loved very dearly as her own. She also gained a bonus son when her daughter Joy married Andrew Bowen, and together they gave her her first grandsons, Charles and Tyler, who brought her endless joy.

Shirley was a devoted wife to Gary and a loving mother to her four children: Joy Bowen, James Rea, Lily Allen, and Julia Zemba. She was also a proud and adoring grandmother to Tyler Bowen, Charles Bowen, Forest Zemba, and Hunter Zemba.

For over 30 years, Shirley worked as an office manager in the legal department of Edison, where her professionalism, organization, and care left a lasting impression on colleagues and friends alike. In her retirement, she poured her time and heart into serving at Saddleback Church, where she was a joyful and faithful member. Through their crochet ministry, Shirley found great purpose in crafting beanie hats and baby blankets for servicemen and women—a small gesture of love with a powerful impact.

She will be remembered as kind, caring, strong, loving, protective, and endlessly faithful. Her creativity and humor were especially evident in the thoughtful, playful ways she gave gifts—often hiding money in Cracker Jack boxes or crafting something handmade that would bring both surprise and joy. She loved gardening, cooking, sewing, and above all, spending time with her family. Her children and grandchildren were her greatest pride and joy, and she never missed a chance to let them know just how deeply loved they were.

A celebration of Shirley’s life will be held on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 PM at Legacy Chapel at Pacific View Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her honor to the Alpha-1 Foundation at https://alpha1.org.

Shirley’s legacy of love, laughter, and service will continue to bloom in the lives of all who knew and loved her.