Irene G. Allen, 83, passed to be with her Savior, Jesus Christ, at 2:52 a.m. on February 14, 2025. at the Knox County Nursing Home in Knoxville, Illinois. Irene was born in Ellsworth, Iowa on March 8, 1941. to Albert and Anina (Nelson) Kantak. She was raised and educated in Onawa, Iowa, graduating in 1959. She attended the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa on a basketball scholarship. She married Alan Allen on October 27, 1961. in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He preceded her in death on August 16, 2020.
Surviving are two sons, Michael G. (Jeanne) Allen of Knoxville, Illinois, and Robert A. (Gretchen) Allen of Oswego, Illinois; five grandchildren, Nicholas Wynn (Cortny Jones), Kathryn Allen (Harrison Seggebruch), Andrea (Jake) Scott, Sophia Allen, and Allison Allen. They were blessed with two great grandchildren, Landen Wynn and Roscoe Scott.
She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Knoxville, Illinois, Irene was always a very competitive athlete, her boys couldn’t beat her at basketball until they were well into her teens! She and Alan discovered golf, and she was very good, winning a state title. She and Alan also won the Lake Bracken couples tournament in 2009, something they were both very proud of. When the weather was bad, she enjoyed playing pitch and bridge, and also taught many folks how to play bridge. Most of all, she loved to devote time to her grandchildren, they all held a very dear place in her heart.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Monday, February 24, 2025 ,with a visitation beginning at noon at Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Homes & Crematory in Knoxville, Illinois. Burial will be in the Lutheran Cemetery in Knoxville, Illinois. Memorials may be made to Grace Lutheran Church. On-line condolences and/or expressions of sympathy may be sent through www.hurd-hendricksfuneralhome.com.
