Mary Joan Allen

Mary Joan Allen (Roper) 92

Joan was born on March 31, 1930 in Trinidad, Colorado. Her parents were Clyde and Mabel Roper, and she had a big brother, Edgar. She was a shy girl but her parents and Gramma Minnie Lee provided love and stability and a happy childhood. The family moved several times during her childhood - to Houston, Denver, Lincoln, Council Bluffs, and finally to Albuquerque, but she always loved Trinidad and returned during the summers to stay with Minnie. She remembered Minnie reading the Bible every night at the dining room table and walking across town to church with her. Her favorite Bible passage was Psalm 23. She and her cousins Ruth Ann and Buddy Roper had fun riding their bikes all over town, playing and climbing the mountain at the end of their street.

Her teenage years in Albuquerque were occupied with riding horses with her best friend, Barbara Woodford, at Clark's Riding Academy, attending Jefferson Junior High and Albuquerque High, Rodeo Club, Girl Scouts, piano lessons and Rainbow Girls. She created her own newspaper, the Roper Gazoon, filled with all the current gossip. She always loved to "dish" and get the latest scoop. Her dad, Clyde, was a traveling salesman, and always saved postcards and other souvenirs for her from his southern New Mexico travels. She was so close to both her parents.

She was married at 18 to Joseph Edward Browne, Jr. and had four children (Colleen, Suky, Buddy and Steve) by the age of 24. Divorce led to her being a single mom and working as a secretary for years at Kirtland Air Force Base. Money was tight during these years, but with the help of her parents, she carried on. The occasional outing to DQ for a Dilly Bar or dinner at Frank's drive-in were special highlights for everyone.
Her second marriage to Luther Edward Allen took her to Peralta, New Mexico, and two stepchildren also came into her life at this time, Eddie and Joy. These years were filled with many hunting and fishing trips. She suffered a devastating loss with the death of her son Buddy in 1970.

Luther died in 2005. She spent most of the rest of her life in her Peralta home
surrounded by all her animals which she loved so dearly - three of the standouts being Sadie the donkey, and the miniature poodles Ruthie and Gracie. She loved her home and never wanted to leave. She was always creative - knitting, sewing, woodcarving, and basket making were some of her specialties. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren brought her joy during these years, and gardening and just sitting with her dogs on her lap and gazing at her yard gave her happiness. She always had a great sense of humor and a laugh that was fun to hear.

Her last year was spent in Fort Collins and Loveland, Colorado. Her stay at Seven Lakes Memory Care was filled with love - she heard the words "I love you, Joan" everyday from her caregivers and sometimes said it back to them. They could always get a smile from her. They made the end of her life lovely, fun, and sometimes silly which she loved.

She had many trials in her life but persevered with grace and remained happy and positive to the end.

She is survived by her children, Mary Colleen Hanna (Bill), Suky Harte, and Steven Michael Browne (Jenney). Her son Joseph Edward Browne III (Buddy) died in 1970. She is also survived by her stepchildren Luther Edward Allen and Joy Allen.

Her grandchildren are Amy DeVan (Alan), Nick Hanna (Rhonda), Maya Gallegos (Dan), Emily Ostapovich (Ryan), Jason Browne, Celena Wilde (Josh), Greg Zimmerman (Carrie), Tory Everhart (Eric), Todd Burns (Annalee), Andrew Browne (Andrea), Daniel Browne, Michael Browne (Kellie), and Brian Browne (Veronica).

Her great grandchildren are Maria, Lucy, and Penny Ostapovich, Daphne Hanna, Katie and Dane Zimmerman, Isaiah and Christian Wilde, Luke, Abigail, Jacob, Hannah and Joey Browne, Houston Browne, Henry Browne, Gage, Kate and Cole Burns, and Stone and Sage Everhart.