Barbara Ziegler Allen

Barbara Helen Ziegler Allen was born on January 26, 1932, to Virginia Terry Ziegler and William Gottlieb Ziegler in Flushing, New York. She was affectionately referred to as Bobby by her parents and her sister Virginia (Ginny). A precociously intelligent child, she was advanced a grade in school. However due to recurrent childhood illness, she missed so much school that she was almost left back, and time away from school and friends made her a shy and quiet girl. Family finances did not provide for a college education, and Barbara trained to be a secretary. She landed a job at Sylvania in New York City. At her best friend’s wedding she met Don Allen, and the two were married in 1956. They had a daughter and a son in rapid succession, and Barbara stayed at home to raise the children. She was a meticulous housekeeper, and her home was beautifully kept, inside and out. She loved flowers and had a broad knowledge of the varieties. She hated cooking, but fortunately her husband preferred plain meat and potatoes. She loved the holidays, especially the decorating and the music, and she instilled that joy in her children. She especially loved Christmas carols and hymns, and they could be heard emanating from the Hi-Fi from Thanksgiving through Epiphany. She would readily admit, however, that she was “tone deaf and couldn’t sing a note”. Barbara and Don separated in 1971, and she rejoined the work force by taking a job with Dooley and Associates, a local, family-run insurance firm. Despite the resultant financial hardship, she made certain that her children had everything they needed, including birthday and Christmas presents. She loved giving gifts and put much thought into their selection. She developed breast cancer during this stressful time and underwent a radical mastectomy. During her recovery, she and Don reconciled, but it was not meant to be, and they divorced four years later. After her children went off to college, she continued to work for Dooley Associates until the age of 60, when she was persuaded by her daughter to move to Maryland. She worked briefly at the Van Heusen outlet and volunteered at Estate Treasures, the local Hospice benefit store. She was a member of Christ Episcopal Parish in Stevensville and a member of the Altar Guild. She loved to walk, and she and her friend Jessie would walk two miles every day. She loved window shopping and browsing. She was a voracious reader and was unrivaled at crossword puzzles. Barbara was a very special presence in her granddaughters’ lives, and eventually moved in with her daughter’s family. After two years the extended family moved to a farm in Centreville, where she had her own apartment with a lovely view of a pond and the horse pastures. She preferred, however, to be with her family and generally spent her days and enjoyed her meals with them. During this time she suffered a fall which resulted in a fractured hip. She developed osteoporosis and would have several falls and consequent surgeries. After she became less mobile. a daily highlight for her was playing Words with Friends with her beloved niece Barbara in Puerto Rico. The two would have sometimes as many as eight games going simultaneously. Eventually she was no longer able to read and ultimately developed dementia. After 19 years with her family, she moved into Rock of Ages Assisted Living in Rock Hall. Barbara passed away from natural causes at the age of 88 on May 21. She was predeceased by both her parents, her sister Virginia, and her niece Virginia Anne. She is survived by her daughter Susan (Tim), her son John (Anita), her granddaughters Christina (Michael) and Lizzie (Kyle), her great granddaughter Haley, her niece Barbara (Eduardo), her grandnephew Sean (Karin), her grandniece Virginia (Jess), her grandnephew Daniel (Maria), her grandnephew Eric, three great grandnephews, Griffin, Evan, and Samuel and her great grandniece Charlie. The family wishes to acknowledge gratefully the compassionate care of Rock of Ages Assisted Living and Compass Regional Hospice and would prefer donations to those institutions in lieu of flowers.

Barbara Ziegler Allen

January 26, 1932 - May 21, 2020