Homegoing Services

Our beloved matriarch, Inell Allen, 95, of Youngstown, Ohio, departed her earthly home and returned to be with the Lord on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. Inell Lumsden was born on January 7, 1930, in Woodland, Georgia, to the late Clarence and Nettie Huff Lumsden.  

The Lumsden family moved to Youngstown in 1945 when Inell was just fifteen years old. She attended Rayen High School and was a member of their 1948 graduating class. Following graduation, she was an elevator operator for two years at the Tod Hotel, then located on the corner of Boardman and Market Streets off Central Square, in Youngstown.

In 1949, Miss Inell Lumsden became a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church under the leadership of Reverend S.P. Phillips. Her marriage to Stafford Allen was performed in the home of her parents by Rev. Phillips on January 7, 1950 and they remained married for 52 years until his death on February 10, 2002. Stafford and Inell became the parents of five children.

Inell worked as a nurse’s aide in health care facilities in Buffalo, New York and Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. She retired in 1992 to enjoy spending even more time with her family and friends. Mom loved cruising, attending family reunions and she especially cherished the trips she took with her sisters, brother and cousins. The ladies started The Birthday Ladies Club to share a meal, give gifts and celebrate each member’s birthday. She also volunteered as an escort at a nursing care facility in Austintown, accompanying residents to their medical appointments.

Stafford, Inell and their family left the Youngstown area in 1965 and moved to Buffalo, New York, and then Mystic, Connecticut. In 1972 the family moved to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where they joined Second Baptist Church. She served as a deaconess, usher, 5th and 6th grade Sunday school teacher, held a class for the young women of the church, worked with the youth fellowship ministry, and was a Lott Carey member. Mrs. Sandy Atkins, her very closest friend said, “She was simply a helper, didn’t wait to be asked to help out, and was always willing to assist others as needed.” Inell purchased the equipment and supplies to start the ministry of video-taping Sunday services and she delivered copies to sick and shut-in members.

Following her husband’s death, she returned to the Youngstown area. In 2005, she renewed her membership with Tabernacle Baptist Church. Although she remained a member of Tabernacle Baptist Church, in recent years, she was physically unable to attend church but faithfully attended Sunday school and Sunday Church Services at Second Baptist Church in Beaver Falls through their online broadcasts. Inell loved the Lord and her favorite scripture was Proverbs 3:5, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Inell, known affectionately called “GG”, leaves precious memories with her four children: Brenda Vorters (Leonard) Philadelphia, PA; Phyllis Allen, Columbia, SC; Pamela Allen, Philadelphia, PA, and Michael Allen, Sterling Heights, MI; two sisters, Lillie Jackson and Gertha Miller, Youngstown; six grandchildren, Michele Vorters, Nicole Vorters, Eric Vorters, and Simone Vorters (Harry), all of Philadelphia; Shelby Allen, West Bloomfield, MI; Paige Allen, Oak Park, MI; and two great-granddaughters that she adored, Jael Vorters-Brooks and Harlee Tender, Philadelphia, PA. She leaves three nieces, Patricia Greene, Campbell; Marlea Mazyck, Augusta, GA; Shandra Umazar, Charlotte, NC; and two nephews, Rev. Julius T. Davis and Carl Jackson, both from Youngstown; and a host of great nieces and nephews, many other family members, her church family and very close friends to cherish her memory.

She was preceded in death by her late husband, Stafford; her infant son Keith; her parents, Clarence and Nettie Lumsden; her sisters, Ann Clark and Ozella Lumsden; and three brothers, Willie, Rudolph and James Lumsden.