William Robert David Allen

Born at home on the family farm in Irrigon, OR on August 2, 1924, Bill was the seventh of nine children. Following completion of school he worked on a wheat farm in Morrow County until he was drafted into the US Navy in 1944, where he served his country honorably on the LST 40, unloading the 1st Engineering troops to secure the airfield on Okinawa on April 2, 1945. Bill was the youngest of the five Allen boys; four were in the service. When two of the Allen boys (Eldon and Raymond) were killed in the war, Bill received military orders to return to US soil.

On December 28, 1948, Bill married Mary “Pat” Guerin and together they had three children: Larry, Linda, and Gayle. In 1961, Bill and Pat moved to Salem where Bill managed a large crop production farm. Following their divorce he married Audrey Spofford in 1973 and soon after moved to Beaverton, OR. Bill then purchased and operated Simplex Auto Parts of Portland until his retirement in 1984. After retirement, Bill and Audrey enjoyed traveling together in the US and abroad. He was preceded in death by Audrey in 2004.

Bill will not only be remembered for his hard work ethic, integrity, and honesty, but perhaps even more so for his sense of humor and practical jokes, especially among his grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all his family and friends. Bill is survived by his younger sister and brother, Ellamae Watson of Hermiston, OR and Hugh (Dee) Grim of Spokane, WA; son Larry Allen of the Philippines; daughters Linda Miller of Salem and Gayle Klampe of Salem; six stepchildren, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

On Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 12:00 PM a memorial service including military honors will be held at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, OR.

The family would like to thank Hospice Care of the Northwest and Assured Health home care for their loving attention to Bill throughout these last few months.