Geraldine “Jerry” D. Allen
Geraldine “Jerry” D. Allen, of Millersburg, died Friday May 7, 2021 at McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey just five days short of her 103rd birthday. Visitation was held at Chagnon Funeral Home Tuesday, May 11, with a rosary service that evening. Jerry’s funeral was at St. Paul Catholic Church in Onaway on her birthday Wednesday May, 12, with burial at St. Paul Cemetery. Those planning an expression of sympathy please consider a donation in memory of Jerry to St. Paul Catholic Church.
One of five children born to Michael and Clara (Konkel) Gorski, Jerry was born in Detroit May 12, 1918. Jerry along with her first husband, Murl Dwortson, owned Murl’s Steakhouse in Detroit as well as three Coney Island Restaurants. Hardworking, Jerry continued managing the restaurants after Murl’s death in 1964. She later married Edward Allen at St. Linus Catholic Church in Dearborn in January of 1971. They made their home in Taylor before retiring to Millersburg in 1974. A woman with tremendous work ethic, Jerry took a retirement job cooking and cleaning for SKW Ranch where she worked for 35 years retiring a second time at the age of 95! She was truly an incredible woman.
Jerry was a former member of St. Alfred Catholic Church in Taylor and a longtime member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Onaway. Devoted to her Catholic faith she rarely missed Mass. She looked forward to attending church and afterwards would always go with friends for something to eat at one of
Surviving Jerry is her son, Scott Allen (Shannon Furst) of Millersburg; stepgrandchildren, Dave, Mark, Ginny, Heather, Steve, Nick, Joel and Dean; as well as a great-grandson, Julian.
She was preceded in death by husbands, Edward Allen (1980) and Murl Dwortson; a son, Dennis Dwortson; a stepdaughter, Linda Guarnieri; a brother, Eugene Gorski; and sisters, Margaret Kramer, Leola Omanowski and Arlene Segraves.