Allan Lurie

PEORIA- Allan Herbert Lurie, 91, of Peoria passed away peacefully Tuesday, April 3 at his home.

He was born May 31, 1926 in Oak Park, Ill., to Sidney and Goldie Lurie. He graduated from J. Sterling Morton High in Cicero, IL, where he was a photographer for the school paper. In 1944 he enlisted in the U.S. Army. In the army he served in the 707th tank battalion while the war was on and later transferred to the 355th engineers in occupied Germany after the war. Upon returning from Europe he attended Bradley University, where he received both a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees in education. While there he was a yearbook photographer and met and fell in love with one of his subjects, Gloria Hubbard.

He and Gloria were married on Nov. 23, 1950, at Temple Anshai Emeth in Peoria. She proceeded him in death in 2014. He was also proceeded in death by his parents and father-in-law and mother-in-law.

Surviving are his daughter Celeste (and Jaime) Restrepo: two grandsons Adam and Eric; brother Robert Lurie and sister-in-law Yvette of France and Chicago area cousins.

Allan was well known as a teacher, mechanical genius, photographer, and aviator who shared his love of flying with many. He was interested in anything with a motor and at various times in his life owned motorcycles, boats, planes, and classic cars. One of his first vehicles was an old police motorcycle. He offered his older brother a ride and unfortunately left him in the street when he took off too fast.

In 1954 he began his industrial arts instruction career teaching auto mechanics, machine shop, electricity/electronics, mechanical drawing, and behind the wheel driver education for 32 years at Peoria Central High School, retiring in 1990. His skill in teaching equipped many for the start of their careers, and in one competition at Western Illinois University, he and his students received special recognition with all 21 entries from his students being selected as award winners. He was a beloved teacher, allowing his students to assist him in making airplane parts and maintaining long term contact with many of them.

Allan was interested in aviation from the time he was a little boy and built model airplanes from balsa wood and paper. When other children would toss their broken planes in the trash, Allan would fix them and sell them back to them to earn money.

He had his first experience with flight in basic training in 1944. He purchased his first airplane in 1963 and had well over 1,600 hours of flying time on various airplanes that he owned, as well as time flying gyrocopters. In order to make his love of flying affordable, he obtained his A&P license so he could work on his planes. He was a life member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and he began attending the annual Oshkosh, Wis. airshow in 1963 and was a regular instructor and volunteer. Allan was a proud member of the United Flying Octogenarians, a group of licensed pilots over the age of 80, and he continued to pilot his planes until he was nearly 90.

He served as technical counselor to the local EAA chapter for many years and was also a chapter vice president, among other positions. He took many people for their first airplane rides, including many young people, as part of the Young Eagles program, which achieved an initial goal of flying and registering over one million young people. For many years Allan donated subscriptions for various flying magazines to the Peoria Public library.

As an amateur radio (ham) operator Allan, W9KCB, was very active. He started with the Bradley Amateur Radio club in the 1950s and was a member of the Peoria Amateur Radio Club and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) for over 65 years. He was a regular Peoria hamfest attendee.

He was also a member of Congregation Anshai Emeth for over 60 years, and was a member of the Peoria Area Retired Teachers Association, the Bradley Alumni Association and the 50+ club, the Popular Rotocraft Association, the Heart of Illinois Ultralight club, the Military Vehicle Preservation Association and the Heritage in Flight Museum in Lincoln, Ill. As an endowment member of the National Rifle Association, he completed requirements and received his concealed carry permit at age 89.

Visitation will be Sunday, April 8, from noon to 2 p.m. at Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel, 2021 University, Peoria, followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. Burial will be at Springdale Cemetery in Peoria.

Memorials may be made to the Peoria Public Library, the Anshai Emeth Gloria Lurie education fund, or the Experimental Aircraft Association.

You may view Allan’s obituary online at www.davison-fulton.com