Cynthia G. Allen unexpectedly passed away peacefully on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024 with her loving family by her side. She was born June 28, 1936 in Malden, Mass. Her parents were Charles M. Giles and Eleanor Hatch Giles. Her mother died in childbirth and her father was killed in a tragic boating accident on East Grand Lake when Cynthia was 11 years old. Cynthia was raised by her great aunt and uncle, Emma and George Singer. She grew up on Glidden Street in Newcastle. Despite losing both of her parents at a young age, she had a very good childhood and always loved Maine.
Cynthia attended and graduated from Lincoln Academy in 1954. She then went on to attend the University of Maine, where she earned a B.A. in French, graduating in 1958. She enrolled in two summer sessions at Laval University in Quebec in the early 1980s, where she furthered her education in French studies. While she was there, she was part of a project that inspired her to study the Holocaust. Greta Haas and Elie Weisel were very influential for Cynthia, as she listened to them speak at the University of Maine about what they survived during this time in history.
Cynthia couldn’t help but share her vast knowledge and passion with as many young adults as she could. She taught French at Wiscasset High School for a year. She then transitioned to Medomak Valley High School, where she continued teaching French but also expanded to the horrific but historical events during the Holocaust. During her time at Medomak, she went on over 30 trips to Quebec City with her students, as she wanted to get them as close to a European experience as she could without the cost that comes with it. She loved teaching. If you asked any of her students what they thought about Mrs. Allen, they would all give the same response, “She was so nice.” She taught at Medomak for over 33 years! She eventually retired, but her lessons and her passion for teaching never stopped.
She met Stephen Allen earlier on in her life – he lived on the same street where she grew up. They would sit on her porch steps, sharing stories of dates that went awry and slices of Cynthia’s homemade apple pie, which he couldn’t get enough of. She fell in love with his unpredictable and exciting nature. She would always tell the story of him throwing all of his schoolbooks into the Damariscotta River from the bridge that connected the Twin Villages. They were married in 1959.
The couple moved to Jefferson in 1968. They had four children: Michael, Mark, Jeffrey, and Lisa. Their expanded family enjoyed and participated in countless home improvement projects, lawn sales, card games, and board games, including relentless rounds of Monopoly. Family dinner was always served at 6 p.m. sharp, whether they were home or on one of their prominent K.I. camping trips. As the family grew, taking the plunge from the Jefferson bridge right next to their home was a rite of passage.
Cynthia discovered that she had a second brother, Robert Hatch, when she was in her 40s. This expanded her family tree even further. Her newfound family and the family she had always known started doing holiday events together, as well as other family gatherings. Robert and his wife, Lorraine, Linda and her husband, Jim, Karen, and Mike all became a part of Cynthia’s family. With this new family came shopping trips, grand feasts, game nights which ended in poker, and a lot of laughs. Cynthia cherished their times together.
Cynthia never let her social life fall flat. She kept her lifelong friendships alive with games of bridge, trips to other states, and multiple meals at Moody’s Diner, where they knew her by her first name and her regular breakfast order. She was also very involved in family events, she loved the family that she had started and that continued to grow, from her children to her grandchildren to her great-grandchildren. She always welcomed everyone to a visit, whether it was a game of cribbage, a cup of coffee, a whole meal, or just takeout. She never wavered when it came to a movie night or a sleep over.
Her family could not have had a better mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, mediator, cook, or teacher. Cynthia was always the glue that held everyone together. She will always be remembered by her family and friends.
She was predeceased by the love of her life and husband, Stephen Allen, who passed in 2002; her brother, Charles Giles; her brother, Robert Hatch and his wife, Lorraine Hatch. She is survived by her loving children: Lisa Allen Long and her husband, Darren Long, and Lisa’s three children, Abby and Philip Peabody, and Megan Feltis, Jeffrey Allen and his children, Jeffrey Allen, Lisa Medina, and Christina Montell, Mark Allen and his wife, Kelley Allen, and Mark’s children, Michael, Ashley, Lizzie, and Logan Allen, Michael Allen and his wife, Crystal, and their children, Fallyn Burnaska, Jasmine Barter and Calvin Woodbury; her nieces Hope, Jill, and nephew, Scott Giles; many great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Sandra Allen.
There will be a time of visitation to celebrate Cynthia’s life at Hall Funeral Home in June of 2025 to be announced.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Hall Funeral Home and Cremation Services. To share a condolence or memory with the Allen family, visit Cynthia’s book of memories at hallfuneralhomes.com.
