Henrietta “Etty” Allen, the oldest member of a famous football and political family, has died at the age of 89. Etty was the mother of current Washington Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen, former Virginia Governor George F. Allen, and two other children, Gregory and Jennifer. George F. Allen, a Republican, became famous nationwide during his 2006 campaign when he was caught on video calling a democratic staffer a “macaca.”
According to an announcement on George F.’s Facebook page, Etty died of natural causes on January 2 at her home in Los Angeles County. The AP is reporting that she had been suffering from a long illness. The title of George F.’s Facebook post is “My Mother and Father are Reunited.”
Etty’s husband was George H. Allen, who is also a famous football coach. During his years as a coach, George H. headed the Los Angeles Rams and, like his son, the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
Etty was born in in Tunisia, where her father was an anti-Nazi resistance fighter. When she moved to the U.S. after World War II, she met and married George H. in Sioux City, Iowa. According to George F.’s Facebook post, “Their journey in life took them through the years from Iowa to California, Illinois, Virginia, and back to California.”