Anne Allen Obituary

GREENSBORO ANNE MONTEITH ALLEN DIED PEACEFULLY at her home July 5, 2015, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 2 p.m. at West Market Street Methodist Church. There will be a reception for family and friends at the church following the service.Anne was born on June 1, 1925 in Rhodhiss to Hattie Mae Butler Monteith and Nathan Young Monteith. She graduated from Granite Falls High School and received her RN from Watts Hospital School of Nursing in Durham in 1946. She was a private duty nurse caring for General William C. Lee, creator of the 101st Airborne Division, before meeting and marrying Louis E. Allen in 1949. After a stint in Pittsburgh where Lou played for the Steelers, they settled in Lou's hometown of Greensboro where Anne continued her nursing career while also giving birth to three children. In 1961, she was encouraged by their next door neighbor, Sam Hooker, then sales manager for Brown Realty, to try her hand at selling real estate and her true calling was found. She was the third woman in residential real estate at that time in Greensboro and worked for Brown for ten years before going out on her own. She built a very successful real estate firm while opening doors for other women to be successful in their own careers. In 1974, she was elected as the first woman to serve as president of the Greensboro Board of Realtors, and in 1979 was elected the first woman to serve as president of the North Carolina State Board of Realtors. In 1987, she was North Carolina Realtor of the Year, and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame for both the Greensboro and North Carolina state boards. While running her own business and serving in leadership roles in her professional organizations, she also served as a director of the Charlotte office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, serving as its chairman from 1991-1993. She also held leadership roles on the boards of BB&T bank, Junior Achievement, the Better Business Bureau, as well as in Greensboro Beautiful and other civic organizations. In 1984, Governor James B. Hunt conferred on her the Order of the Longleaf Pine, the highest honor bestowed on civilians in the state of North Carolina, and in 1989 she was the second recipient of the Athena Award given by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. Despite her very busy professional life, she was dedicated to her home and family, never missing school functions or athletic events her children participated in. She loved to cook and her family was always gathered at the table to share dinner together. She had great talent for decorating and took tremendous pride in creating a lovely home for her family. She and Lou were great partners in caring for their children, their home and garden. She adored her three grandchildren and looked forward always to having them come spend the night or have a meal. Recently, she welcomed a great-granddaughter, who was a source of great joy for her. She is predeceased by her parents, two brothers, Hoke and Butler, and one sister, Polly, as well as her beloved husband, Louis. She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Buet, two sons, Louis Eugene Allen Jr, and James Morris Allen (Dana), three grandchildren, Eleonore A. Buet (Ryan Nielsen), Robert Louis Allen and Samuel James Allen, and one great-granddaughter, Emma Nielsen. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Urban Ministry or Greensboro Beautiful.Forbis and Dick North Elm Street Chapel is assisting the family.

Published by Greensboro News & Record on Jul. 12, 2015.