Kris Allen

Kris McAllister Allen, age 57, of Gulfport, passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2020.

She was born on June 24, 1962, in Marietta, GA and spent her childhood living in wonderful locales around the world as the child of a naval officer. The family eventually settled in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area where she finished high school in Long Beach in 1979 and went on to attend MGCCC followed by Millsaps College in Jackson. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1984.

She began raising a family in New Orleans, LA and continued her nursing career in the field of pediatrics, practicing in the New Orleans area and the Williamsburg/Newport News, VA area in the 1990’s. She moved with her children back to Gulfport in 1996 and became a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner after earning her MSN/PNP degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1998. From 1998 until 2018 she was a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP) with The Children’s Clinic (Memorial Hospital of Gulfport) in Long Beach. Her devoted care and nurturing of the children she served for 20 years made her practice a successful one, and she immensely enjoyed the relationships she developed with patients and families over the years on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Kris was extremely devoted to her beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, and she was an active parishioner for many years at both St. James Catholic Church and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, both in Gulfport (MS). At St. James, she was active in teaching C.C.D., singing in the adult choir, and volunteering for numerous ministries and committees over the years. After her husband’s ordination to the diaconate in 2013 she became active as a deacon’s wife at St. John the Evangelist, and enjoyed teaching R.C.I.A., serving on the marriage preparation team, attending daily mass and volunteering for various other ministries through the last several years. She evangelized through her battle with ovarian cancer over the past two years, offering up her suffering to the glory of the kingdom of God as she witnessed through her faith. She was beloved by all who knew her and will be fondly remembered for her kind and loving heart.

She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 16 years, Deacon David Allen; two daughters, Callie (Allen) Hornbuckle, and Erin (Dave) Neville; two grandchildren, Charlie and Rose Hornbuckle; her parents, Dudley and Trish McAllister; a brother, Andy (Sue) McAllister and their child, Maddie McAllister; a sister, Beth (Lee) Hawker and their children, Trey and Drew Hawker; and numerous other extended family members and friends.

A memorial mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church later this spring or summer (TBA), following the end of the COVID-19 quarantine period. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Vincent de Paul Community Pharmacy, P.O. Box 1228, Biloxi, MS 39533.

The RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, Gulfport, is serving the family and online condolences may be offered at www.riemannfamily.com