Etty Allen, Mother of Former U.S. Senator, Dies

Henrietta "Etty" L. Allen—widow of professional football Hall of Fame coach George H. Allen, as well as mother of current Redskins general manager Bruce Allen and former U.S. Sen. George F. Allen (R-Va.)—died last Wednesday at her home in Palos Verdes Estates, the Washington Post reported. She was 89.

Etty Allen was 89. She died of natural causes, according to a statement posted on the Facebook page of former Sen. George F. Allen under the headline "My Mother and Father Are Reunited."

She was born in Tunisia to Felix and Eujenie Lumbroso, and married George H. Allen after World War II in Sioux City, Iowa, according to the family. George H. Allen died in 1990.

In the book Fifth Quarter: The Scrimmage of a Football Coach's Daughter, written by Jennifer Allen, Etty Allen was described as a stabilizing force in a football-obsessed family, the Associated Press reported.

Etty Allen is survived by her four children—George; Bruce; Gregory, who practices sports psychology in Palos Verdes Estates; and Jennifer, a writer and former NFL Network reporter who lives on the peninsula—10 grandchildren, and her sister Liliane, according to the family and the Post.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Freedom4U, a Palos Verdes-based nonprofit organization that sponsors youth programs focused around the creative arts.