Donald E. Allen
Donald E. Allen, 81, formerly of Warsaw, Ind., went home to be with his wife on Wed., Aug. 21, 2013, at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, Ind.
He was born in Clinton, Ill., on Jan. 30, 1932, to Lewis and Edna Allen. In 1949, he married Imogene “Jean” Kennedy. They moved to Warsaw in 1970, where he worked at Gatke Corp.
In May 1983, Don married Dorothy Arlene Bickham, who has waited in Heaven for him since 2009.
Don retired from Federal Mogul on March 1, 1996. In his retirement years, Don enjoyed camping in Indiana state parks with Arlene, visiting Colorado with the exception of driving up Pike’s Peak and watching DVDs at home with Arlene’s grandson, Gavin. He was quite an accomplished carpenter building all sorts of things, including birdhouses, and performing home projects and repairs.
Over the years, Don and Arlene adopted various stray animals including cats: Bodacious, Ginger, Muffy, Buddy and Bo-Kitty; dogs: Annie and Barney, all of which are now reunited.
Don is survived by sons: Rex (Roberta) Allen, Muncie, Ind.; and Mark (Teresa) Allen, Alexandria, Va.; daughter: Lynn Buttz, Warsaw; a sister: Marjorie Reinhold, Decatur, Ill.; aunt: Sylvia Kemp, Clinton, Ill.; grandchildren: Shanna (Mark) Atteberry, Warsaw; Carrie, Christopher and Keith Allen, all of Muncie; five great-grandchildren: Teryn, Claudia, Lizzie, Jesson and Draven; step daughters: Donna (Barry) Frisinger and Kelly (Ben) Woodcox, both of Rochester, Ind.; Susie Austgen-Fogarty, Griffith, Ind.; a step son: Donald (Glenda) Austgen, Hessville, Ind.; 11 step grandchildren: Karli, Gavin, Camden, Hallie, Ryan, Justin, Devin, Brooke, Melissa, Steve, Jenny; and six step great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law: Sharon (Jimmy) Thomas.
Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Faith Outreach Center, 1125 E. 9th St., Rochester, with a memorial service at 11 a.m. Burial will follow the service at the Pleasant Hill Church Cemetery on Bruce Lake.
Arrangements by Zimmerman Bros. Funeral Home, Rochester.