Mrs. Lena Charleston Allen was born to the late Edmond Charleston and Viola Smith Hughes in Bosco, LA on December 4, 1929. She accepted Christ at an early age. Her grandfather was a strong influence in her life at an early age. She often talked about him taking her to Sunday School at the Cuba Baptist Church in Bosco, LA. At the age of 7, she moved to Monroe, LA, and began to live with her aunt Clyde Lyons, who was a faithful and life-long member of First Baptist Church. From that point on, Lena continued her Christian walk with Jesus Christ through First Missionary Baptist Church (50 plus years). Lena met the love of her life, the late Henry Jefferson Allen, through her Aunt Clyde, and they later married on April 18, 1954. To this union, one child was born.

Lena was a 1949 graduate of Little Flower Academy. This was the school's first graduating class and was an accomplishment that made her incredibly proud. Believe it or not, Lena was very shy in school. However, she was very interested in typing, shorthand, and even studied Latin. She fell in love with basketball while in high school and enjoyed playing the game. Her love for basketball continued for the rest of her life. She attended Grambling College and later Louisiana College, where her focus was on education. She served in many roles in her educational career, including work as a HeadStart teacher, one of the first paraprofessionals in the Ouachita Parish School System, Preschool teacher at Calypso Day Center, and in later years, she was an active substitute teacher. Her students always remembered her for being a firm disciplinarian and a teacher who had a tremendous love for her students. Although her passion for education in the secular world was strong, it was even stronger from a Christian perspective. Sunday after Sunday, she told the junior class about the Holy Spirit. She always shared, "You can't do nothing without the Holy Spirit!" She also talked to them about choosing the right kind of friend and loving one another. She will be remembered for being feisty, being very opinionated, her love of her students, her love for Christian education, and most of all, her love for the Lord and how she praised Him down the church aisle! Lena went home to be with Jesus on April 29, 2022. Funeral services are Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 11:00 AM at First Missionary Baptist Church at 507 Swayze St. in Monroe, LA. Visitation is Friday, May 6, 2022, 12:00 – 1:00 PM.