September 8, 1948 – May 16, 2025
Jane Conner Allen, 76, passed away peacefully on May 16, 2025, surrounded by her family.
Jane was born to Edison and Louise Conner on September 8, 1948 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. On July 11, 1969, she married Byron Miles Allen in Huntsville, Alabama, following a brief courtship and his proposal at Gibson’s Barbecue, asking, “Well, what do you say we get married.” In their nearly 56 years of marriage, they lived in California, Ohio, Texas, New Mexico, and The Netherlands, in addition to having had many other adventures around the world. A lifetime learner who discovered a love for microbiology, Jane earned her bachelor’s degree and, among other selfless contributions to the field, created a science program for local schools through Alvin Community College.
Together, she and Byron raised four children: Jennifer Dalton, of Friendswood; Elizabeth Gardner, of Friendswood; Emily Allen, of South Pasadena, Calif.; and Matthew Allen, of Menlo Park, Calif. Nona (Italian for Grandmother) found tremendous joy in her nine grandchildren: Madison, Tabitha, Cori, Melanie, Toby, Kyle, William, Benjamin, and Edison. She is now reunited with her father, her mother, and her beloved brother, Dr. E. Scott Conner, Santa Barbara, Calif.
A memorial service will be held at the Friendswood Friends Church on Saturday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception at the Allen home. If you are able to attend, feel encouraged to wear stripes, which were Jane’s “favorite color.”
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the National Kidney Foundation. Jane was a kidney transplant recipient, which made the last 30 years of her life possible. Please have any flowers delivered to Friendswood Friends Church.
Consider becoming an organ donor. Thanks to Jane’s daughter-in-law, Christine, you can register as a donor conveniently through your iPhone Health app, or at organdonor.gov.
1 thought on “Jane Conner Allen”
So many owe so much to Jane.
She enriched the lives of the faculty and staff that worked with her at Alvin Community College with her optimistic, straightforward, unassuming and pragmatic outlook. Her dedication to the Biotechnology program that she directed and enacted over a 15-year span laid a scientific foundation for hundreds to thousands of K-12 students and their teachers.
Carrying complex laboratory equipment along with tissue and cell samples in the trunk of her car, she delivered and prepared classroom experiments on the workings of DNA and on how to manipulate it.
Her far-flung territory included Alvin, Friendswood and Pearland ISDs, which meant many road miles and hours of preparation of her experiments.
Jane will be sorely missed.