Charlotte Elaine Allen

Swannanoa Charlotte Elaine Young Allen, 58, closed her eyes July 23, 2008 and awoke in Heaven in the presence of her Lord. A seventh generation, lifelong resident of Buncombe County, she was a former Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor with the JFK ADATC, and retired in 2006 from the Black Mountain Center, where she cared for the developmentally disabled. Mrs. Allen was a lifelong member of the Swannanoa Valley Independent Missionary Baptist Church. Her lifelong passion was to care for and to be a comforter to others. She loved her family, and was a Godly, Christian woman. We thank the Lord for giving her life to us, for we have all been touched, and will greatly miss her. Mrs. Allen was the daughter of the late Charles Edward and Gertrude Connie Bernice Reynolds Young. She was also preceded in death by a sister, Janet Faye Young Taylor; a brother, Charles Theodore Young; great-aunt, Frankie McAbee; and niece, Janet Marie Young. Surviving are her husband of 42 years, the love of her life, Virgil Lee Allen, of the home; children: Nancy Elaine Allen Nesbitt and husband Chad of Leicester, Virgil Gregory Allen and fianc Tina Leap of Swannanoa, and Melissa Lorraine Allen Lord and husband Carl of Asheville; grandchildren, who were the joy of her life: Savannah Nichole Nesbitt, Emilee Rebecca Lord, and Zebulan David Lord; sisters: Mary Slaten of Tampa, FL, Pansy Kay Ragan and husband Ray of Swannanoa, Lois Lorraine Young Ramsey and husband Bruce of Virginia Beach, VA, Dorothy Gayle Young Robinson and husband Gerald of Leicester, Cynthia Blanche Young McElreath and husband Ronald of Canton, and Susan Karen Young Odom and husband Bill of Swannanoa; brothers: Donald Edward Young and wife Brenda of Swannanoa, Lewis James Clifford Young and wife Kim of Leicester, Ralph William Young and wife Lydia of Asheville, and Rev. Randall Dewey Young and wife Sharon of Asheville; aunt, Pansey May Wilson of Asheville; great-aunt, Bernice Tullock of Greeneville, TN; Bobby Taylor, Rev. David Dimsdale, Russell and Shelby Allen and numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday at Swannanoa Valley Independent Missionary Baptist Church, with Rev. Dr. Lewis O. Bartlett and Rev. Randall Young officiating. Burial will follow in the Allen Graveyard on Bear Path Trail in the Pensacola Community of Yancey County. The family will receive friends from 6-8:00 PM Friday at Anders-Rice Funeral Home, and at other times at the home of Melissa and Carl Lord, 115 Kirkwood Drive, Asheville, NC 28805. Flowers are accepted and appreciated, or memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 120 Executive Park, Asheville, NC 28801, or to Swannanoa Valley Independent Missionary Baptist Church, PO Box 969, Swannanoa, NC 28778.