7-8-03
Obituaries
Marshal News Messenger


Maxine Lorraine Phenneger Allen 
Gill Cemetery, Harrison Co., TX

Maxine Lorraine Phenneger Allen was born March 8, 1920 to Jess 
Kendrick Phenneger and Bess Margaret Armour Phenneger of Mt. Hope, 
Kan. She was raised in the farm country of South Central Kansas and 
learned the lessons of hard work at an early age. She graduated from 
Mt. Hope High School in 1938. She was active in basketball, sports 
and swimming. She graduated from Emporia State Teachers College with 
a degree in physical education with a teaching certificate in 1942. 

She taught physical education in Chula Vista, Calif. During WWII, 
Maxine joined the American Red Cross and was assigned as a hospital 
recreation worker in Fairbanks, AL. While in Alaska, she met her 
husband of 51 years, Charles A. Allen, who was a gunnery sergeant 
and a gunner on planes flying the Aleutian Islands. Max learned that 
when you marry a Texan, you move to Texas. Although it was somewhat 
of a culture shock moving from Kansas to Marshall, she was quickly 
embraced by Charlie's brothers and sisters who became her "new" 
family. She later taught physical education at the University of 
Texas while Charlie attended college and law school. She and Charlie 
left Austin with a law degree and two children in 1953. After 
returning to Marshall, Charlie went to work at the District 
Attorney's office and Max became a full time mom not only to her own 
children, but to all of the neighborhood kids. In addition to 
doctoring years of cuts, scrapes and bruises, she was well known by 
many neighborhood children for passing out popcorn balls at 
Halloween for over 40 years. She liked to play golf, tripoly, and 
bridge. Max was an avid swimmer and passionate of water exercise and 
fun. She was a champion of mentally and physically handicapped 
children in the Marshall/Harrison County area and worked with the 
mentally and physically challenged in water recreation for many 
years. She was a Cub Scout den mother, taught Sunday school at First 
Baptist Church and was a great mother to her own children as well as 
others. She was active in her investment club and dearly loved to 
play bridge with her friends on Wednesdays. 

She is survived by 2 daughters, Sara Kay Allen, of Dallas and one 
son, Clay Allen and wife Ebee Allen, of Marshall; daughter, Belinda 
Allen, of Marshall and grandchildren, Clayton and Garrett Allen, of 
Marshall. She is also survived by sisters; Helen Phenneger Moreland 
and Geraldine Phenneger Grier and brother-in-law Ralph Grier, all of 
Minneapolis, Minn.; brother and sister-in-law, Joe and Rhetha 
Phenneger of Kennewick, Wash.; and a number of nieces and nephews. 

She also loved her neighbors and friends, Norma King and the late 
Mose King, Martha and Raymond Spencer, and Bettye and James Barnes 
of Marshall. They were neighbors and friends for 48 years. She will 
also be missed by her beloved bridge group. May God's Blessings be 
upon this special angel. 

Services will be 10 a.m., Wednesday, July 9, 2003 at Travis Street 
Chapel of The Sullivan Funeral Home with the Rev. Marion Harris 
and Bob Bryant officiating. Burial will be in Gill Cemetery in Gill 
Community. 

Family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday evening at the 
Sullivan Funeral Home, 100 E. Travis St.