Obituary: Allen, Roger
We were on Sand Bag Hill and the enemy was on Stalin Hill, about 100 yards to the north of us and they told me to stay low.
Not a problem I said.”
Roger Allen, Korea 1953.
Roger had a sense of humor even about his height.
He always did his duty whether in the service of his country or in his personal life.
He was a Christian, had a quiet and shy disposition and sleepy humor that even made him smile.
Roger was far more intelligent than he or many people thought.
From an early age he was gifted mechanically and was always industrious.
As a youth Roger worked summers at the family farm in North Dakota and in Spokane caring for the large vegetable garden and poultry, but I never saw him push the old lawn mower.
Through out his school years he always had a morning paper route including his senior year.
He actually spent a box of silver coins on his honeymoon in 1962 saved from his paper routes.
Roger was frugal, but he laughed that his timing was off spending the silver dollars.
He may still have a few in his lock box.
If Roger were writing this he would tell you how much he appreciated his family, his coffee buddies at Target, his old friends and co-workers at Intalco and being a part of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Group and of course Jim Stansell.
Roger was born September 16, 1932.
His family moved to Spokane in 1941 and Roger last worked on the farm in 1956.
He graduated from West Valley High School in 1952 and was later drafted into the Army.
After his discharge he attended Spokane Trade School and worked at a local sheet metal company.
Roger married Arline Colby in 1962 and they moved to Alger, Washington where they bought a small farm and Roger continued to work in the sheet metal trade until he hired on at Intalco.
Later they moved to Bellingham.
Arline, his wife, died in 1991.
Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Ruth Allen (Peterson); his brother, Harry Allen Jr; and sisters, Bonnie Wood and Betty Moore.
He is survived by his sister, Wanda Halverson (Ronald); Captain Cook, Hawaii; and James Allen (Nancy), Spokane, Washington; and twelve nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held on Friday August 22, 11:00am at Greenacres Memorial Park in Ferndale, WA.
Please share thoughts and memories of Roger at www.farewelltributes.com