George "Al" Montgomery Allen

Al and Dorsis Allen have been residents of Fort Collins, Colorado for the past five years. During the previous 20 years, they had been retired and residing in St. Augustine, Florida. Their family was spread across the country. Surviving are his wife Dorsis of 48 years; Matt (son) and Donna Allen of Arizona and their children, Andrew and Alli, of Washington; Alicia Allen (daughter-in-law) and son Thomas of Washington; Gary (son) and Holly Thomas of Ohio and their children - Ruby, Roger, Calvin, Birdie and Cook – also of Ohio; Vickie (daughter) and Craig Leisy of Fort Collins, Colorado, their daughter Dana of Fort Collins and their son Corey of Washington. Ringo, their cat, sleeps on Dorsis’ lap in Colorado.

Other surviving family members include nieces Michele Touhey, Vickie Allen-Gigus, Sharon Stackhouse; and nephews Victor Entrik and Joey Touhey. Al was predeceased by his parents Vivian and Victor Allen, his son Danny Allen, two brothers – Teddy and Victor – and two sisters – Betty and Janet.

Al was born on June 8, 1939 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of five children. His father managed hotels and Al moved frequently as a child. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1956 when he was 17. He was trained as a Communications Machine Repairman and was stationed in California and France. After serving four years in the Air Force, Al enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1964 and became a Quartermaster. He rose through the ranks to Chief Petty Officer then was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in 1976. His sea duty included the Cutter TANEY (Alameda, California, 1965-6), Cutter AURORA (San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1967-68), Cutter KLAMATH (Seattle, Washington and the Republic of Vietnam, 1968-71) and Cutter DALLAS (New York, 1976-78). He followed the sea duty with a specialty in commercial vessel safety and assignments in New Orleans and Morgan City, Louisiana (1978-80) and Savannah, Georgia (1980-84). He retired from the Coast Guard in 1984.

Al completed a second career as the Safety Director for Colonial Oil in Savannah, Georgia. He worked there for about 15 years then retired for good and moved to St. Augustine, Florida. Al and Dorsis enjoyed their RV and travelled the country. When at home, he loved wood carving. He organized a band and played for seniors at numerous retirement communities and rest homes. He played guitar and harmonica and sang vocals. He also directed and performed in many plays and variety shows in his community. He loved all kinds of music and dancing. Al could always be found in the community center kitchen cooking for holiday parties and special events. He volunteered for hospice, collected donations for the food bank and visited inmates at the jail for Alcoholics Anonymous. In Colorado, Al enjoyed hiking in the hills with Vickie and morning walks with Craig and Dana’s dog Mojo. Most afternoons, Al took time out for tea and crackers. Their cat Ringo sat on his lap and licked salt off the Wheat Thin crackers. Al and Dorsis led very full lives and did almost everything together for 48 years of marriage. Al always said Dorsis was the love of his life and, near the end, he told the family to, “take care of my girl.” He will be missed by a great many people besides his family.

Funeral services for the immediate family will be held at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver on Thursday, September 21 2023 in accordance with Al’s wishes.