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Allen, Alan E.

March 22, 1948 –
 February 11, 2014

Obituary

Alan Edward Allen was born in Dallas Texas on March 22, 1948 to Louie and Bernice Allen.  He joined his older siblings Bobby D. and Melinda to complete the family.  Originally, his parents intended on naming the baby “Melody Diane” and were somewhat unprepared when they had a boy, so they scrambled for an appropriate name, and decided on one that has been at times confusing to others.   When meeting him for the first time, he was apt to say “I am Alan Allen from Allen Texas and I sell Allen wrenches”.  As a child, his Dad called him “Stub” which was a reflection of his preference of a flat top haircut, the style of choice for boys growing up in the 1950’s, although he outgrew the nickname about the same time he changed his hair length.  Alan attended Richardson schools until high school when he transferred to Greenhill Preparatory where he lettered for two years in Varsity Football.   As a teenager, he drove his nephew Tommy and nieces Robin and Melody to Richardson Heights Baptist Church on Sundays in his Mom’s convertible.  His youngest niece Vickie was just an infant, so she did not get to take those death defying drives to Sunday school standing up in the front seat with the other kids clutching a Bible. Alan’s parents owned “Allen Cleaners” at the southwest corner of Belt Line and Central Expressway in Richardson which is the Richardson Heights Shopping Center.   The dry cleaners was behind Truman Truelove’s Gulf station which is now a Chevron, and a McDonald’s stands where the cleaner once was.   During the 1960’s, James Ling was a regular customer, so Alan’s parents had Alan invest his earnings from working at the cleaners in Ling-Tempco-Vought stock, and was recognized by LTV as the youngest stockholder in the company.   As an older teenage, he worked at Allen Case Ltd., which was a men’s clothier also in the Heights Shopping Center. Before his high school graduation, Alan enlisted in the US Navy and was stationed in Cam Rahn Bay off of the South China Sea during a portion of his time in the Vietnam War.   Most of the live fire he took during deployment was when he frequented the on-base club and after enjoying a few drinks, would help himself to one of the officer’s unattended jeeps to get back to his barracks.   The officers were not amused when they found that their jeeps had been “borrowed” and were now on the other side of the base and gunfire in his direction was not unheard of.  One of his family’s “treasures” is the globe that his Mom and Dad used to show the grandkids where Alan was in the world when they would receive his letters home.   In his twelve years of proudly serving his country, he attained the rank of Radioman 1st class before his honorable discharge. Subsequent to his Navy service, Alan returned home where he worked for Geophysical Service Inc. of Dallas and was based around the world, often in remote and isolated areas, where he established and maintained electronic radio positioning navigation equipment for marine seismic vessels.  During this time, he met his future wife Debbie in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.  Together they returned to the Dallas area and in 1985, they became the proud parents of Robert J.D. Allen.  When Robert was six, and after Alan’s mother and father had passed away, they packed up Robert and moved back to Newfoundland.  In Canada, Alan embarked on a career as a licensed Private Investigator for several years and was a Master Mason at Whiteway Masonic Lodge of Newfoundland & Labrador. During 2004, Alan returned solo to the Dallas area and once again to work in the seismic oil exploration industry, traveling to and working in Norway, Shanghai, Morocco, Curacao, Bay of Bengal, Romania, Benin, the Arctic Circle, Thailand, West Africa and Cyprus.   He worked on many of these assignments through his friend Ted Cooper’s company based in Houston. In his lifetime, Alan visited or worked on every continent of the world with the exception of Antarctica before retiring in 2011. Upon retirement, Alan settled into a daily routine at his “palatial lake estate” on Lake Texoma.  Along with his faithful companion Brandy who rode shotgun with him on the golf cart to check the mail, he settled into a quiet lifestyle.  Alan spent his time collecting watches, working on his PC and sharing information on a forum that was devoted to dogs with “EPI”, which is a pancreatic insufficiency that affects all dog breeds.  Over months and months of researching and experimenting, Alan developed and fine- tuned Brandy’s diet so that she would not suffer from this debilitating disease.  The owner of the forum emailed the followings to Alan’s family upon learning of his illness: “When your Uncle Alan first joined epi4dogs, he said he would not be participating much… something to the effect that it wasn’t his thing… but then… OMG…..he asked questions and then little by little he really started chatting with others and then he offered support and suggestions to others and was simply “there” for others- -which is so important… he even did a chart of Brandy’s EPI Log and helped me upload it onto the website so that others could see what keeping an EPI Log was all about… what I am trying to say is that your Uncle was an absolute delight and helped many other folks too!  And also, PLEASE let your Uncle know how much he touched others and tell him that we miss him and think of him often.” At least once a year for the last ten years, Robert came down from Canada to spend several weeks with his Dad on Lake Texoma.  They rode around the neighborhood in the golf cart with Brandy, practiced their shooting skills at the target range, and enjoyed the Mustang Bullitt that Alan purchased and tricked out for Robert through the years.   Robert will continue to enjoy his Dad’s passion for fast cars every time he takes the Bullitt out for a spin on the open Texas highways.  Alan was extremely proud of his son and his service to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and looked forward to his annual visits so much so, that he would interrupt his regular daily nap schedule when Robert was in town.  Robert is a compliment to his parent’s upbringing as he works hard, plays hard, and is mature beyond his years.  His head is on straight, and even though he sports a pretty definite Canadian accent, he is a true son of Texas.  When Alan was first diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain and adrenal glands in October 2013, Robert used his accrued vacation time to return to Texas with his girlfriend Raina.  Together for two months, they attended unselfishly to Alan’s every need including driving him to and from radiation treatments and countless oncology appointments in Plano.  While their last days together with Alan were limited, Robert and Raina showed their love and devotion to Alan in many ways, only returning to Newfoundland when the RNC required him to return to duty. Alan passed away on Tuesday February 11, 2014 at 8:35am with his adoring sister Melinda by his side, after having cared for him throughout the previous night.  We will be forever thankful that even though his body was ravaged by the effects of his disease, he never once complained of being in pain.  While his speech was severely limited in the final weeks, his last clearest statement during this time was delivered in typical Alan style.  About a week before his death, and upon being told by his family that as much as we wanted him to, we knew that he was not going to survive his illness, Alan clearly said “Perhaps I should smoke a cigar then”.  Whether his intent was to celebrate his life, or to mark his eminent passing we will never know, but he followed his statement with an ever so slightly ironic smile. As Melinda will tell you, although Alan was at times a solitary man, he loved his son, his family, friends, and Brandy.  He especially loved his rights as a citizen of a free country.   Alan fought for and endorsed the right to bear arms for all Americans and practiced what he preached. We will all miss his ever present sarcastic humor, his opinions, his dashing good looks, his hearty laugh, and his sweet hugs and kisses.  We will remember how he was always a very early arrival for family get-togethers and how we joked that we should add an hour to the time we gave him so he would arrive with everyone else at the appointed time. While there will now always be an unfilled hole in our family and our hearts are aching, we are thankful that we had Alan in our lives and will remember him always. Alan, we love you. Robert and Raina Melinda and Michael Robin, Ronny, Rachel, Raegan and Riley Melody, Jason and Grace Vickie, Mike, Matthew, Mackenzie and Katie   Arrangements are under the direction of: ARIA Cremation Service & Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas 75252 214) 306-6700

    Matthew McBride
    13 Feb 2014
    9:15am

    You always had a story and an opinion for every topic and every occasion—usually followed by a big loud laugh. I am excited to be entering the service soon as you served and would have enjoyed discussing our different experiences in the military. I still have the uncanny side-by-side B&W photo comparison (of me around 13 years old and your strikingly similar looking mother circa 1930) that you created after “discovering” the resemblance spanning 3 generations. I will miss our conversations. Love Matthew.

    Melody Calverley
    14 Feb 2014
    1:15am

    You will be missed dearly but never forgotten Love Mel,Jason and Grace

    Christine and Paul Phillips, Newfoundland
    15 Feb 2014
    6:54am

    Robert, our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of sadness. Gain strength in knowing your dad loved you so very much. xo Christine and Paul

    Vickie McBride
    16 Feb 2014
    8:50am

    You were an important part of our family. I will miss your grin, your laugh, & your hugs! Simply put I will miss you being you. I love you!
    Vickie

    Rita Gates
    16 Feb 2014
    11:42am

    Thank you Allan for coming into my life for those 4 months. We had some great days together. Especially the day I put you in your chair, and we watched tv. Thanks Robert and Melinda for sharing him with me. I loved that man.

    Robin Ward
    16 Feb 2014
    12:38pm

    Although Alan was away for extended periods of time, it was always easy to slip back into having him around because he was always the same person. One of my childhood memories of him was at Grandma’s cleaners when he decided to handcuff me to a clothes rack. He thought it was funny, but Grandma was a little aggravated and I failed to see the humor, but I adored him anyway! One Christmas at our house, he rode his Harley through our back yard to park on the patio. We kids didn’t dare to ride our bikes through the back yard, but that was so typical of Alan, always making a grand entrance. He always smelled of leather and smoke, was brash and exciting. There was never a dull moment around Alan. I will miss him, but I am thankful that we had the honor of caring for him in his last few weeks and that he left us knowing that we loved him deeply.

    Karen Tibbs
    16 Feb 2014
    1:58pm

    Alan was a dear friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time. He will be remembered fondly. I have such wonderful memories of when our families spent time together here in Newfoundland.

    DEBBIE DALTON
    16 Feb 2014
    5:31pm

    Our thoughts are with you Robert and your family. Ray and I will always remember your dad as the one who was most instrumental in introducing us to each other and giving us such a wonderful chance of finding a special person. See you soon.

    Scott Gillis
    16 Feb 2014
    6:42pm

    Well its been quite some time since I last seen Alan, but I will never forget him for all my life, I’m sure.

    Growing up with Robert we got to know him well. I remember us waking him up from his “Afternoon nap” by slamming cupboards or talking to loud and he would come out and reenact what we did by slamming the cupboards and talking loud with that Alan Allen humour and that unforgettable grin.

    He was always doing something cool, the latest computer game on blast in his office, installing the best computer parts, or even a surprise ambush on us in the woods in the back with his state of the art paintball gun and full camo. Whatever it was he was up to we always wanted to see, because it was bound to be cool!

    I could always see how proud of Robert he was and also how proud Robert was of his Dad. I see so much of him in Robert and more and more as he gets older.

    Robbie, I cant even imagine what your going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you man. Stay strong just like you always are, and know how proud you made your Father and how much he loved you.

    Rest in Peace old friend…

    Scott

    Scott, Brenda & Scottie Hussey
    16 Feb 2014
    9:05pm

    We were so sad to hear the passing of Alan. Our friendship goes back many years ago,when his family moved to Newfoundland. We enjoyed many happy times and memories with him that will live on forever.
    Our deepest thoughts are with “Young Robert” and Alan’s sister Melinda.
    “Alan you are at peace now and you will be always remembered by The Hussey Family”

    Robert Johnston
    17 Feb 2014
    5:44am

    We were so sorry to hear of Alan’s passing. He was a special part of our family for many years and we have fond memories of his time with us. Alan used to joke that he wanted to be a special Constable with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. He lived to see his son achieve that goal and we know he was so proud. Please accept our sincere condolences.
    Robert and Gloria Johnston (Newfoundland).

    Dan Crocker
    17 Feb 2014
    7:28am

    Robert
    So sorry for your loss and I will miss alan
    A lot .He surely was one of a kind.

    Tanya Lambert
    17 Feb 2014
    10:12am

    Alan will truly be missed. His sister; Melinda, has been my best friend since high school. Alan’s birthday was just one day ahead of mine, so we celebrated our birthdays together on many occasions. Alan could sing and I loved to listen to him. He was fun to be around; always laughing, so you couldn’t help but enjoy his company. Allan was a wonderful person.

    To Robert, Melinda, and family; I will miss Alan.

    To Robert, Melinda, and family; I will miss Alan, and all of you are in my prayers.
    Love Tanya and family.

    Sheila Johnston
    17 Feb 2014
    11:54am

    Our hearts go out to Robert and The Allen Family. We are so sorry for your loss. Alan was a big part of our families lives for many years. Many Birthdays, Christmases and just no occasion days just hanging out with family and friends for a lovely supper. I remember Alan bringing out his guitar and singing country songs. (lol) It would put a big smile on my face. When I hear certain songs after all these years, I still remember him. I can hear him as if he was sat next to me. It is something I will always treasure. We will always remember you.
    God Bless!
    Sheila and Doug Johnston (Newfoundland)

    Debbie
    18 Feb 2014
    6:56am

    Alan
    You were a wonderful father and friend to Robert. I thank-you sincerely for the most precious gift you have given me.
    He is our treasure. I will love and support him in all that he does for the both of us.
    Take you nap now with peace.

    Debbie

    Bob and Louise May
    18 Feb 2014
    8:39pm

    We were quite shocked and saddened to learn of Alan’s recent untimely passing and we offer our sincere condolences to Alan’s family and to the Johnston family in Newfoundland. Louise and I also want to express a special note of sympathy to Alan and Debbie’s wonderful son, Robert, and his girlfriend, Raina. We know that Alan was extremely proud of his son, as well he should have been. We knew Alan quite well while he lived in Newfoundland and enjoyed his company on a number of occasions. He and Debbie were very warm and gracious hosts and we felt welcome in their home. There was no denying that Alan was an interesting and an entertaining character. We had many lively conversations and were treated to lots of “yarns” (good stories) about his travels and exploits. We will always remember those times with great fondness.

    Our thoughts are with you all during this very difficult time.

    Bob and Louise May (Newfoundland)

    zack crocker
    18 Feb 2014
    11:08pm

    Well where to start. I also have not seen alan in many years. I wanted to go to texas and see him but never had the chance. Knowing robbie my whole life now Alan was as much a part of my Life as anyone, I can say one thing he was quite the character for sure. I laugh when I think about all the things he did when we were kids. So many memories some I cant remember untill now. I was pretty upset to hear of his passing but knew he was quite sick. So all I can really say is rest in piece sir. You will always be rememberd and thought of.

    Olesia from epi4dogs
    19 Feb 2014
    8:35am

    Alan reached out and helped many struggling with their dog’s EPI … he not only is missed but will always be remembered for his kindness and contribution to the EPI community.

    Cindy Freake
    19 Feb 2014
    9:53am

    I had the pleasure of working with Alan in Newfoundland. He always had a smile and hug for me. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

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