Santa Clarita resident Pat Allen, previous Santa Clarita Valley Woman of the Year and local community activist, died recently.

After moving to Canyon Country in 1967, she and her husband, Sheldon, quickly got involved in the community, serving first on the Canyon High School Community Committee when the school opened, with Allen then going on to serve as president of the school’s booster club from 1977-79.

In between working at Lockheed Aircraft Corp. and caring for her three kids, Allen spent much of her free time volunteering for local organizations, such as the Zonta Club of SCV, Boys & Girls Club of SCV, Red Cross Disaster Team, and the Canyon Theatre Guild.

Once Allen retired from Lockheed after nearly 35 years in 1990, it simply left her with more time to spend volunteering within her community.

During that time, she remained involved with Zonta, the Red Cross Disaster Team, and the SCV Boys & Girls Club, along with the American Heart Association and SCV Senior Center, among other local organizations.

In 1994, Allen was awarded SCV Woman of the Year for her community service, which only made her volunteer more to justify receiving the award, according to her biography on the SCV Man and Woman of the Year website.

In 1999, those efforts led to her being honored as Woman of the Year by then-Sen. Pete Knight, of the 17th District.

“I remember sitting next to Pat and Jamie Kennedy at my first Auction meeting 35 years ago,” former SCV Boys & Girls Club Executive Director Jim Ventress recalled in a Facebook post on Friday. “I was pretty nervous. She assured me that everything would be fine and we will raise lots of money for the kids. Also, we will have lots of fun, too! … She always had a smile and a ton of energy. … She put in many volunteer hours over many decades. We are going to miss this beautiful and caring soul.”