Adeline Louise Allen

Adeline Louise (Genelli) Allen, 78, passed from this life on November 30, 2021, to an eternal life with love from her family by her bedside at the Gosnell Hospice in Scarborough, Maine. Adeline was born February 16, 1943 in the borough of Queens, New York City, the first daughter of the late Joseph and Marie Genelli of New York City. Adeline had a "free range" childhood in Queens with her sister, cousins, and friends. The #7 train was their vehicle to movies, parks, circus, shows, museums, and events. She, her sister and two cousins went to Radio City Music Hall every Christmas and Easter to see The Rockettes. After graduating from the local high school, she worked as a secretary at The Bulova Watch Company. Adeline met the love of her life in 1962 at the Islip bowling alley, a young man from Kentucky named Earl Allen, a Navy sailor on shore leave. Earl was ordered to Vietnam and they made the commitment to marriage when he returned. Each agreed to write a letter every day for a year while he was at sea, expressing their thoughts about marriage and their love for each other. After a year of separation, they married in Queens, New York on September 16, 1963. She supported his studies to become a submarine nuclear specialist, then five years later they started a family with the arrival of Elizabeth and then Jennifer. They crisscrossed the United States several times in their camper van with their kids and pets. Adeline was a Navy wife and enjoyed keeping the family together and safe while Earl was at sea. Adeline was the most creative of artisans; she became a nationally recognized American basket maker, selling in museums and featured in magazines. She made soft sculptures, jewelry, and folk art. Her creations were on display and sold at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. She was a fantastic cook and grew a garden for natural foods. After their twenty-one-year Navy career, Adeline and her family moved to Portland and then Scarborough. She volunteered as a docent for the Tate House for many years. A lover of history, Adeline and Earl took their family on a trip to Italy and later she and her sister visited Europe and North Africa, her favorites being Italy, Turkey, and Morocco. She liked to say that she "ate her way through the continents", always looking for another way to eat eggplant. Adeline received the Catholic last rites while in Gosnell Hospice Center. She and Earl are grateful for the care the attending medical professionals of the Maine Medical Center and the Gosnell Hospice Center gave her. That evening, Adeline and Earl cried one last tear and a kiss of love while lying near each other. She felt the final warmth of the eternal love knowing that she could pass with peace in her heart, her family is safe, and she accomplished her life in happiness. Adeline and Earl enjoyed more than 58 years of marriage. She will be dearly missed by her husband Earl, daughters Elizabeth and Jennifer, two grandchildren, Jay and Hannah Isle, and her sister Linda Blue. Adeline's energy and spirit will never be forgotten and our stars in the cosmos is the Big Dipper where she will continually watch over us and we can talk to her when we look to the heavens. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at Evergreen Cemetery, followed by a Celebration of Life from 12:00 to 2:00 PM at A.T. Hutchins Funeral Home 660 Brighton Avenue in Portland. Mask will be provided. The Allen family appreciates all her friend's attendance at the private farewell and our neighbors' thoughts and condolences during this time of our loss. The food received from you to start our journey without Adeline is a welcome step in our life, memories, and all-encompassing love.

Adeline Louise Allen

February 16, 1943 - November 30, 2021

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