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Obituary: Helen E. Allen

June 10, 1922 ~ December 15, 2021

Helen Elizabeth Allen (nee Schreiber) died peacefully on December 15, 2021 at her family home in Fish Creek, WI. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Earle Harry Allen, her brothers, Edward Everett Schreiber and Robert Wayne Schreiber, her grandson, Edward Andrew Allen and her great-grandson, William Earle Dowdle. She is survived by her children, Robert E. Allen (Debra), Patricia A. Trellue (Ronald), Barbara A. Smith (Forrest), Mark E. Allen, Steven E. Allen (Heather); 12 grandchildren and 14 greatgrandchildren; nephews, Jan E. Schreiber (Frannie Nason), Paul C. Schreiber (Doris), Roger W. Schreiber (Holly), Todd A. Schreiber, and nieces, Cindy L. Lemke and Jocelyn J. Marit; numerous great nieces and nephews; and her very dear friend, Sheree Becker. She will be placed to rest at Blossomberg Cemetery in Peninsula State Park.

Helen was born at home on June 10, 1922 in Fish Creek, WI above the general store (now Fish Creek Market) in the space now occupied by Shiny Moon Cafe. Her parents, Lester Elmo and Amanda Victoria (nee Kottke) Schreiber operated the general store and they lived in the apartment above. Her father was well respected in the community and was made the first fire chief when a volunteer fire department was formed for the Town of Gibraltar. Helen grew up in Fish Creek graduating from Gibraltar High School and attending Lawrence College (now Lawrence University) for two years before moving to Chicago to explore a career in fashion design at the American Institute of Art in Chicago.

She met her future husband, Earle H. Allen, at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago in 1943. When Earle returned from serving in the Army, she left school and they were married on June 15, 1946 at the Community Church in Fish Creek. Helen was kept busy as a stay-at-home mom with 5 children (3 boys and 2 girls) as the family moved around Wisconsin, finally settling in Waukesha in 1964. She always regretted not finishing college and returned to the University of Wisconsin to receive an Honors BA in history in 1973.

In 1983, Earle and Helen retired and moved into her family home at 9430 Spruce Street in downtown Fish Creek. Helen immediately became involved in the community by helping to establish the Gibraltar Historical Association. Their original goal was to save the Town Hall and shortly after that Helen, with help from Ann Thorp, created the first historic walking tour of Fish Creek. She led those tours twice a week for almost 20 years. The tours took two hours with a stop halfway through for lemonade and homemade cookies on her front porch.

As education was especially important to Helen, she became a member of P.E.O (Philanthropic Educational Organization) that provides scholarships for women to help reach their educational goals. Through this organization, she established the Helen Schreiber Allen Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to Door County women.

Helen was a shrewd card player and especially enjoyed playing bridge. She also loved gardening and kept up beautiful gardens around her Fish Creek home. Most of all, she loved and cared for her family.

A celebration of life will be held for her in the summer of 2022.

Memorials in Helen’s honor may be made to either the Gibraltar Historical Association (mail to: P.O. Box 323, Fish Creek, WI 54212) or P.E.O Foundation, Helen Schreiber Allen Scholarship Fund (mail to: P.E.O Chapter EE, ℅Sharon Zeisler, PO Box 165, Fish Creek, WI, 54212). The family would like to thank her long-time physician Dr. Joshua Rebhan and all those from Unity Hospice, especially Cindy, Ashley, and Meghan, who took such good care of her in her final months.

Casperson Funeral Home & Cremation Services of Sister Bay is assisting the Allen family. Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Helen may be shared with her family through her tribute page at www.caspersonfuneralhome.com.