Dr. John Ellis Allen

Dr. John Ellis Allen, 90, passed away on April 12, 2019 in Williamsburg, VA.  He was born on December 11, 1928 in Dothan, Alabama to Ellis and Cleo Allen.

John graduated from high school in Dothan, Alabama. He attended the College of Music of Cincinnati (Ohio) where he received a certificate in piano, the University of Cincinnati where he received a degree of Bachelor of Science in Education, Miami University (Oxford, OH) where he received a degree of Master of Science in Education and The Ohio State University where he received a degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

John served in the Army with the 899^th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion 28^th Infantry Division in Germany from January 1953 to June 1954.

John’s career included school music teacher (Lewisburg, OH); Superintendent of Monroe Township Schools (Ohio); Deputy School Superintendent (Newark, DE); Area School Superintendent New Castle County (Delaware); Superintendent Williamsburg-James City County Schools (Williamsburg, VA); and Executive Director of The Governor’s School for the Arts (Norfolk, VA).

John’s special interests included music, travel, reading and genealogy.  He sang in the Williamsburg Choral Guild for more than 10 years and he and his wife, Helen, were frequent attendees at Virginia Opera and chamber music programs.  For a number of years they traveled to New York City to attend the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic concerts and concerts at Carnegie Hall.  They also enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, Europe, China and Egypt.  John was an avid reader; he particularly enjoyed reading biographies of American political figures, especially US presidents, as well as those of business and industrial personalities.

John married Helen Kreitzer in 1955 in Lewisburg, Ohio. They were happily married for 64 years. He is survived by his wife, Helen, (Williamsburg, VA) and two children; Barbara (Henrico, VA) and David (Williamsburg, VA); grandchildren Helen, John and Joshua; great-grandchildren Benjamin and Jeffrey; and nephew Ray Allen (Tuscaloosa, AL).

John was a member of St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Williamsburg, VA

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 612 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23185 at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 20, 2019.  A reception in the Fellowship Hall will follow.

His remains will be interred at a later date in the family plot at Sugar Grove Cemetery in New Lexington, Ohio.

For those who wish to make a memorial contribution, please consider St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 612 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185 or The Governor’s School for the Arts, 254 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23510, https://www.gsarts.org/donate