Charles Richard "Dick" Allen (1925-2012)

Charles Richard "Dick" Allen, 86, passed away on Friday, July 13 at The Heart Hospital Baylor, Plano.

Richard was born on October 1, 1925, in the Georgetown community near the town of Pottsboro, to Edyth Hull and William Ernest Allen. He attended school at Georgetown and graduated from Denison High School in 1942. He was raised Baptist and read the Bible daily. He was an endowed member of the Lone Star Masonic Lodge 403. He married Verna Mae Schnitker June 22, 1946, who has preceded him in death.

After graduating from high school, Richard worked at Perrin Air Force Base as a flight line mechanic during World War II. He left there and became employed in February 1947 with Ballard & Ballard to open the refrigerated dough plant at 314 S. Chandler in Denison. The company was purchased in 1951 by the Pillsbury Company and in 1962 the refrigerated foods plant moved to FM Hwy 84 where Richard was Distribution Manager until he retired in 1989, giving 42 years of faithful employment to the Pillsbury Company.

He was elected to the Georgetown school board and became president. As president he assisted with the development and creation of bond elections to build Pottsboro High School, which had its first graduating class in 1967. He served as a school board member for many years after the creation of PHS.

Richard was a life long avid hunter and fisherman. He took numerous trips to Alaska, Mexico, Montana, Colorado and various other parts of the U.S. hunting and fishing. He found especially great joy in quail hunting and training bird dogs. For over a decade, he maintained a quail lease in the Texas Rolling Plains and happily spent days at a time following bird dogs in the hills and canyons in pursuit of bobwhite and blue quail. He had a reputation as an exceptional shotgun marksman. He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association.

His other life passion was as an amateur archaeologist, and was very knowledgeable about the early America's indigenous people and their stone tools with emphasis on early Texas history of the Comanche and Apache Indians.

Following in the footsteps of his nurseryman father, Richard enjoyed gardening and created a producing peach orchard, as well as plum and cherry trees; and he grafted varieties of pecan trees. He enjoyed working with his cattle herd and raised calves for market for over 40 years.

Richard is survived by son, Charles Edwin Allen and wife, Jody of Denison, daughter, Carol Brownlee of Denison; four grandchildren, Michelle Gomez, Stephanie Rice, Brandy Humphrey, and Colby Choate; nine great-grandchildren, Chelsea Gomez, Grant Gomez, Stephanie Allen, Devyn Rice, Dylan Rice, Brandon Humphrey, Blake Humphrey, Zoe Carlile and Zaiden Choate; son-in-law, Donny Conary as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by parents, Edyth and William Ernest Allen, daughter, Mary Kathryn "Kathy" Conary, sisters, Margaret Jane (Allen) Parham, Lorene Beulah (Allen) Gillean, and Ruth Christine (Allen) Dunn, brothers, Hull Forrest Allen, and William Ernest Allen Jr.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 19, 2012 at Georgetown Baptist Church with Pastor Bobby Hancock officiating. Interment will follow in Georgetown Cemetery. Family visitation will be held from 6 -8 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at Fisher Funeral Home.

Pallbearers will be Brunson Choate, Chris Humphrey, Donnie Rice, Lonnie Brownlee, Jim Nelson, and Curtis Clement.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Heart Association , National Rifle Association or any other charity of your choice .

Condolences may be registered online at www.fisherfh.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Fisher Funeral Home, located at 604 W. Main in Denison.
Published in The Herald Democrat from July 17 to July 20, 2012