Richard Alvin Allen (Rich) died at age 84 surrounded by his family at All Saints Senior Living, Shakopee, MN on November 8th, 2015, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s.
Rich is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Edith (Stephenson) Allen; daughters, Julie (Doug) Bowman, Marie (Mike) Nagel and Beth (Todd) Ingalls; sons, Mark (Gloria Jones) Allen and Wes Allen; grandchildren Laura and Cory Bowman; Daniel, Tony, and Ethan Nagel; great grandchildren, Hailey, Taylor, and Carter; brother, Louis (Carolyn) Allen. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Lynn Allen and sister, Irene Becker.
Richard Alvin Allen was a good son; a proud Marine and Korean War Vet; a hard-working farmer; a devoted Maintenance Engineer; and most of all a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He loved to harmonize with his good friends in the couples club. Many a night we heard barbershop quartets suddenly form in the Allen Farm kitchen.
Rich taught his children the meaning of hard work and responsibility on the farm while always ready with that mischievous smile you knew would be followed up with a wiggle of his ears or nose.
He had many hobbies through the years. Just some of which include his beautiful wood carvings many of us are lucky to have in our homes; playing in shuffleboard and pool leagues in AZ, he was proud to say he won several trophies in, and fishing for that ever elusive “big fish” on Cedar Lake.
Rich was always ready with pictures and stories from his many travels and adventures with Edith, starting from the day they got married and were off to South Carolina, where they had their honeymoon and started their life together. From the tropics of a Bahama Cruise and Hawaii, to the beautiful northern woodlands of Canada and Duluth, not to mention the many winters they enjoyed in AZ and their adventures driving through the States to and from MN.
These last days with Rich, the Husband, Dad and Grandfather, we have shared so many stories of all the mischief we got into, the silly things he would do, his many accomplishments, his pride for his two grandsons who followed in his footsteps as Marines, his laugh and his love of singing.
Life is made of memories and Richard, we have had so many great ones with you.
Rich’s life will be honored with a Celebration of Life Service on Thursday, November 12 at 10:30 am, with visitation one hour prior all at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation 833 South Marschall Road, Shakopee, MN. He will be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery with full military honors provided by the Fort Snelling Volunteer Rifle Squad.
