Obituary of Sharon Rae Allen

Sharon Rae Allen died after a bout with cancer on February 6, 2020 in Tucson, Arizona. She was 76. She was born to George Bee and Helen Cade on August 16, 1943 in Hoopeston, Illinois. George Bee was killed during World War II, and Helen remarried to Ray Ramsey, who adopted Sharon, and together they raised her in Hoopeston, where she grew up "corn-fed and bred," along with her sister Karen Ramsey. Sharon married Charles Allen in 1961, and they had one child, Roderick Allen, born January 1963. They divorced in 1968, and for the rest of Rod's formative years, Sharon was a single parent. In 1984, Sharon was the leasing agent at a Tucson apartment complex when she met George Marshall, working there on maintenance. After the chance meeting, George and Sharon became partners-in-crime for the next 36 years. Together, they often traveled when they weren't buying and renovating houses, either from Tucson to her birthplace in Illinois, or in her later years, from Tucson to Florida, where she made a second home in Cape Coral. Among her favorite places was the Second Chance Saloon in Hoopeston, and the town's "Sweet Corn Festival," where she often returned for visits while living in Tucson. Gregarious and bright, Sharon was known for her iron toughness and her true grit. Though she kept herself busy, she would also carve out time to regularly attend Tombstone's raucous Helldorado Days with George at her side, or sit back with a margarita by the pool, which she insisted must be "bath-warm." And, she always knew what was on special at BackStreets Bar in Cape Coral. Sharon is survived by her sister, Karen Laffoon, and her son, Rod. And, she has two grandchildren Stephen Allen and Nicole Allen, and two great-grandchildren, Chyann Fox and Kali Fox. Sharon's family will host a ceremony for her on February 15 at 2 p.m. at Adair Funeral Home's Dodge Chapel at 1050 N. Dodge Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85716. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society.