Allen was born on July 16, 1947 in McRae, Georgia to Mary and John Taylor. He was raised in Macon, Georgia and received a diploma from Lanier High School. Allen voluntarily enlisted in the United States Air Force in June of 1966 and served on active duty in Vietnam from 1968 through September of 1969. He continued his service in the USAF Reserve as a flight engineer on AC-130 gunships in the 919th Special Operations Group and he was honorably discharged in January of 1979 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Allen’s professional life outside of the military was made up of various ventures and careers involving electrical and instrumentation engineering. Allen was a licensed pilot from an early age, holding multi-engine and instrument ratings and was able to connect his passion for flying to his work as Airway Systems Manager for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA-DOTD) Aviation Division. Allen received numerous awards from the State and professional organizations, such as LAMA and IESALC throughout his 28-year career with LA-DOTD. His service culminated in being awarded the Charles E. Dunbar, Jr. Career Service Award in 2017, which is the highest award a Louisiana civil service employee can receive.
He was preceded in death by his parents and half-sisters Bonnie and Dolores.
Allen is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nancy Cravey Taylor, his son James Johnathan, and his brothers Richard (Carol) & Bill.
His visitation will be at Rabenhorst Funeral Home (825 Government St. Baton Rouge) on November 30 from 4:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.
The funeral service will be held at the same location on December 1 at 11:30 A.M. followed by burial at the Louisiana National Cemetery in Zachary at 1:00 P.M. with full military honors.
In Lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, www.Parkinson.org
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.rabenhorstdowntown.com for the Taylor family.
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