E. Kent Allen, Jr., 81, of Londonderry, NH, died Saturday, March 13, 2021 in his home surrounded by his loving family following a lengthy illness. Born in Boston, MA on August 27, 1939, he was the son of E. Kent and Harriett (Bolton) Allen. Kent was raised in Westford, MA and Hingham, MA and has been a resident of Londonderry for the past 51 years. He was a graduate of Boston University and Northeastern University and served in the US Naval Reserves.
Kent’s credo was “Deeds, not words,” and he lived that belief daily. He was a landscaper for over 55 years, maintaining commercial and residential properties in town. Kent recently retired after 44 years of working in the Londonderry cemeteries and served as cemetery sexton for 12 years. He also completed seven years of volunteer clean-up work in the Londonderry Town Forest which has been renamed the Kent Allen Forest to honor his tireless efforts.
He is survived by his wife, partner and best friend of 58 years, Meredith (Hall) Allen of Londonderry; their daughters, Deborah Urbanik and husband Todd of Dunbarton,NH and their three children, Devyn, Haley and T.J.; Elizabeth York and husband Jim of Concord, NH, and their two children Taylor and Matthew, and Sarah Garofalo and husband Derek of Londonderry and their two children, Addison and Ethan; his siblings, Harriett Wayland and husband Parker of Knoxville, TN, Deborah Pash and husband Ken of Santa Barbara, CA, and William Allen of Denver, CO. He was predeceased by his brother, Robert Allen of Hingham, MA.
A celebration of Kent’s life will be held in the Kent Allen Forest in Londonderry on April 17th at 2:00 pm. As of Thursday, April 14th, this celebration is still scheduled for Saturday the 17th at 2:00 pm. For additional parking, please use the Londonderry United Methodist Church, The Lions Club, Orchard Christian Fellowship Church, or the Londonderry Presbyterian Church after 1:30 pm. Please honor Kent by wearing blue jeans and your favorite flannel shirt. Please follow current COVID guidelines including six-foot distancing and mask wearing. In lieu of flowers, donations can be directed to the Town of Londonderry, Londonderry Town Hall, 268B Mammoth Rd. Londonderry, NH 03053, c/o The Kent Allen Forest. Remembrances can be shared through family Facebook pages or the Peabody Funeral Home at www.peabodyfuneralhome.com. In the event of rain, the ceremony will shift to April 24th at 2:00 pm. Please check the Facebook pages of family members, the Town of Londonderry, or the Peabody Funeral Home website listed above. The entire Allen family would like to express our gratitude to the Town of Londonderry, Kevin Smith, and countless community members who became Dad’s friends and collaborators, enabling the forest project to become a reality.