Fallen Hatboro Police Officer's Wife Appears On National TV Commercial

HATBORO, PA — It was during the second quarter of the "Monday Night Football" game between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings when she appeared.

A commercial for Ethos and its wills and life insurance appeared. But this wasn't an actor discussing the policies in a national television commercial being shown on ESPN.

This was Whitney Allen, the widow of fallen Hatboro Police Officer Ryan Allen, who died after complications from a bee sting on April 7, 2022.

"I had no idea I'd be on 'Monday Night Football,'" Allen told Patch on Wednesday. "I'm honored to be before a larger audience. But we are reaching a demographic of men who watch football who are often in charge of these policies."

Allen appears in the commercial with a hat on and ear plugs in as she exercises on a walking path while talking about the importance of having policies in place, especially for young families who suddenly deal with a tragedy.

"We don't talk about it enough because it's morbid," she said. "But it's super important. The last thing you want if you world crashes down is not having your estate in order."

Allen said she has been working with Ethos for some time and figured her spot would be used for streaming. She said she just filmed a video of herself walking and talking and gave it to Ethos for use.

"I'm really happy they are using real people who have been through tragedies and have personal experience," Allen said.

She certainly has.

On Oct. 14, 2021, Ryan Allen was stung by a bee and suffered a severe medical reaction resulting in cardiac arrest, and although he fought long and hard, he could not overcome the damage done to his body because of the reaction and later died.

Last May, borough officials held a ceremony to dedicate a new community plaza outside Produce Junction to Ryan Allen, who joined the Hatboro Police Department in 2013.

Allen served as a field training officer, a member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force, a member of the Bike Patrol Unit, and the department’s First Aid and CPR Instructor.

He established the department’s first police canine program in which he received a prestigious Award of Valor for meritorious community service.

On May 20, 2019, Allen’s K-9 partner, Louie, was sworn in and received his badge,#59, from the Borough of Hatboro, and was deployed in a limited capacity for narcotics detection.

Since Ryan's death, Whitney Allen has written books on grief and works on social media to help others get through tragedies.

She remarried last year and told Patch that her two sons are doing well in school with Jackson now in second grade and Leo just starting pre-school.