Nancy Allen passed away on the afternoon of January 21, 2023 at the young age of 71 at Gardens Care Assisted Living in Lakewood, CO of natural causes.
Nancy Joy Barton was born January 2, 1952 to Kenneth and Delores (Nordahl) Barton. She has 2 siblings: older sister Janice Kern and younger sister Connie Ova. Nancy was born in Jamestown, ND and later moved to Glendale, California in 1955, then to California City, CA in 1960, where she was crowned Jr. Miss California City.
In 1967, the Barton family moved back to Monango, ND. She attended and graduated from Monango High School in 1970. She then moved to Jamestown right after graduation and started working at Montana-Dakota Utilities. She had a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.
She met and married Monte Allen on July 10, 1975. Together, they raised two children, son Regan Allen (married to Ann Allen) and daughter Jacki Cox (married to Jeff Cox). They farmed land in Windsor, ND until 1990 when they moved to Grand Forks, ND to complete their degrees at the University of ND. Prior to moving to Grand Forks, Nancy earned her real estate license, and began selling real estate for Century 21 in Jamestown, and then Greenberg Realty in Grand Forks.
They then moved back to Jamestown in 1994 to raise buffalo and during that time, Nancy was the Events Director for the Jamestown Civic Center. They purchased the Cannonball Ranch together in 1996 to continue raising buffalo until 2005 in Mandan, ND. While living in Mandan, Nancy was the Director of Marketing for the Bismarck Civic Center, and then she took to selling buffalo meat for tours and educating people about the benefits of buffalo meat.
Nancy was also the Manager of the North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City before her final position as a Real Estate Broker and Owner of Midstate Realty in Jamestown, ND before she retired in 2018. She then moved to Colorado to be closer to her adult children, Regan, Ann, Jeff, and Jacki and her two granddaughters, Megan and Lucy.
She traveled a bit internationally with the buffalo industry, and later to visit her son and his family during his active military service.
She had a smile that would light up any room, and many people have said that through the years. She was kind, worked hard throughout her life, outgoing, and could carry a conversation with pretty much anyone who came in contact with her. She was proud of and loved her family, and they brought her great joy. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
She is survived by her son Regan Allen, daughter-in-law Ann Allen, granddaughters Megan and Lucy; daughter Jacki Cox, son-in-law Jeff Cox; sisters Connie (Denny) Ova and Janice Kern; former husband Monte Allen; several nieces and nephews and their spouses; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ken and Delores, and her parents-in-law, Elaine and Merle Allen.
Memorial Service – 10:30 a.m., Friday, February 3, 2023 at Eddy Funeral Home, Jamestown.