Virginia J. ("Ginny") Allen, 86, of Jacksonville died April 3, 2012 at her daughter's home in Durham, North Carolina. The family will receive visitors Monday April 9, 2012 at 10 am at Jones Funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Infant of Prague Catholic Church April 9, 2012 at 11:00 am with Reverend Ernest Ruede, Pastor officiating. The Rite of Committal follows at the Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Ginny was born July 2, 1925 in Bronx, New York to John Larkin and Theresa Brack Larkin and was preceded in death by a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, and by her parents, her sisters Gloria Davis and Genevieve Eschert, and her niece Lorraine Lefkowitz.

In 1950, Ginny and her best girlfriend decided to join the Women Marines Reserve thinking it would be something fun to do and a "way to meet cute boys". The day they were inducted, the Korean Conflict broke out and their unit was immediately activated. Ginny found herself 3,000 miles from home at Camp Pendleton, California where she did, indeed, meet a cute boy from Alabama. She and Thomas Vernon Allen were wed on August 9, 1952 in Oceanside California. Although Ginny was honorably discharged from the Women Marines shortly after their marriage, she outranked Tom on their wedding day. Tom would happily say that she continued to outrank him throughout their married life as nothing pleased him more than to please her.

Ginny faithfully supported her husband and family at duty stations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, California, and Texas. In each location she kept busy with friends, with church and school activities and with jobs that enabled her to be available to her children whenever they were not in school. At a time when few women worked outside the home, Ginny joined a group of women who drove school buses for the Infant of Prague Catholic School in exchange for tuition. She was a popular bus driver among the students and it was not unusual at the start of the school year to hear children at a bus stop cheer when they saw that Mrs. Allen would be their bus driver. She permitted the children to bring construction paper decorations which she taped to the ceiling of the bus to celebrate various holidays. At the end of the school year, she would detour to a convenience store at the beginning of the route and buy the children popsicles and fudgesicles before taking them home.

In retirement, Ginny volunteered at the Council for the Arts, delivered Meals-on-Wheels in Onslow County, crocheted baby blankets for the Navy Relief Society, and devoted a faithful vigil hour each week in the Infant of Prague Perpetual Adoration Chapel. She was a joy-filled and active participant in many of the craft and activity programs offered by Onslow County Senior Services, where she cherished the companionship of both long-term and newly-found friends.

Ginny is survived by her loving husband Tom and by three children Charles ("Chip") Allen and his wife Lindsey of Clarkesville, Georgia; Kathleen Allen of Durham, North Carolina; Colleen Stevens and her husband Steve of Jacksonville, North Carolina; by six grandchildren Carina Allen of Alto, Georgia; Christopher Stevens and his wife Nicole of Jacksonville, North Carolina; Matthew Stevens of Royal Oak, Michigan; Carissa Shealy and her husband Matt of Chapin, South Carolina; Christian Allen of Savannah, Georgia; and Allison Matthews and her husband Taylor of Okinawa, Japan; and by three great-grandchildren Kadin Mangum, Olivia Matthews, and Hunter Shealy.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to Onslow County Meals on Wheels, 4024 Richlands Highway, Jacksonville, NC 28540; or to The Council for the Arts, 826 New Bridge St., PO Box 34, Jacksonville, NC 28541-0034; or to Duke HomeCare & Hospice, Office of Development, 4321 Medical Park Dr., Suite 101, Durham, NC 27704.
Monday, April 9th, 11:00am at Infant of Prague Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery.