Allen, Elizabeth (Betty) S (Stuntz)
Elizabeth (Betty) Stuntz Allen was born on March 4, 1925 and died on August 1, 2023. Betty was raised in India (now Pakistan), the daughter of Methodist missionaries, Clyde B. Stuntz and Florence Watters Stuntz. She eventually became a missionary to India herself, raising her four children (Janet, Martha, Ken and Eugene) there before returning to the US in 1969. She attended the Woodstock School in India as a boarding student from age six, and then Smith College, Case Western University for a master's degree in social work and finally Hartford Seminary to prepare for mission work. She married the Rev. Daniel Allen, who she met at Hartford Seminary and with whom she fell in love on the boat to India.
After returning from India, Betty and Dan served churches in Warehouse Point CT, Quincy MA and Stafford Springs/Crystal Lake CT. She was very active in the wider church, holding leadership positions in the United Methodist Women and Church Women United. Her faith led her to a commitment to the less-fortunate, to outcasts, and to peace, whether global or within small communities. Her work was recognized with awards from Church Women United and the Boston University School of Theology. Betty and Dan eventually moved to Elim Park in Cheshire, CT where she continued to be active in her local Methodist church, continuing her life-long habit of singing in choirs, and in the Elim Park community, serving on the residents' council, leading a singing group and participating in many classes and activities. Until the pandemic, Betty organized an annual sponsored walk for charity at Elim Park. Betty was a gifted artist who loved to paint and sculpt until she was limited by failing eyesight. Her favorite place was her family camp in upstate New York, a constant in a life that involved frequent moves.
Betty was predeceased by her husband who died in 2007, her two brothers, two sisters and one grandchild. She is survived by her four children, eleven grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren.