Carol Ann Allen

Carol Ann Allen (1946-2025)

Carol Ann Allen, 78, of Meridian, passed away August 1, 2025, in her cozy cottage home she loved so much.

She was born in National City, California, in 1946 to Oscar E. and Emma W. Flower. After graduating from William S. Hart High School in Newhall, California, she and her parents, along with her black & white cat, Willie, moved to Meridian, Idaho in August of 1964.

Mom’s great passion was tending to her yard and home. She worked ridiculously long hours all through my childhood to provide a cozy, safe, loving home for us, and somehow, she found pockets of time in the evenings or weekends to get done what needed done, so our house was always pretty and the plants in the yard were thriving. This was done all without automatic sprinklers for most of her life!

After the birth of her granddaughter, Marley, in 2011, she retired after 47 years of work so that she could help take care of her. Spending time with Marley was one of Mom’s greatest joys. Together, they would read books, sometimes the same one, over and over, until Marley was done. They did puzzles, Play-Doh, and pretend airplane rides.  In recent years, she and Marley got together around the holidays to bake.

In her retirement, she developed a great love for college football, never missing a BSU football game. Growing up, we never watched sports in our home, so this new hobby was quite surprising to me. Turns out, she always loved football, but there just wasn’t enough time to devote to it when she was working full-time. Making up for lost time, she watched all the pre-game shows, read about the players, and then after a BSU player would get drafted she would start watching them play professionally. Eventually, she was forced (wink) to follow NFL, too! Mom shared the BSU football passion with her dear niece, Shannon, where they would call each other during the games no matter how late it was.

Mom had a way of finding a connecting piece between herself and those she loved. For some of us, it was funny birthday cards, for others, it was BSU Football, for Mike, Marley, and I, it was books, baking, and a cozy home & garden. She will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Smith (Mike) and granddaughter, Marley; brother, Gerald (Phyllis); nieces: Shannon Flower Menard (Matt); Keri Kramer (Brad); Dodi Newbill (Brian); nephew, John Flower (Karen); five grand-nephews: Owen, Kaden, Bradley, Josh, and Hunter; and two grand-nieces, Madison and Nicole.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Oscar E. and Emma W. Flower; and one brother.

There will be a private family burial at Dry Creek Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Public Radio