DONALD FRANKLIN ALLEN February 18,1935 – July 28, 2022
In the early afternoon of Thursday, July 28, 2022, Donald Franklin Allen passed away peacefully at the Marjorie Willougby Snowden Memorial Hospice Home in Kamloops, BC. He will be forever missed by his family but there is solace knowing he is with the Lord and re-united with his wife of 62 years, Marlene Frances Allen (Moore) who passed away in May 2020.
He is survived by six children and their spouses: Jeff (Norine) Allen, Kandy Allen (David Charnley), Jamie (Sheri) Allen, Penny (Herman) VandeGoede, Calvin (Anne-Marie) Allen and Jill (Barry) Ewanyshyn as well as numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Don was born in Prince George, BC on February 18, 1935. He met Marlene in 1957 and they were married on April 3, 1958. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Kamloops, BC where they started a family and Don began his teaching career at Kamloops Senior Secondary. In 1961, Don transferred over to John Peterson High School where he spent the remainder of his teaching career. In order to complete his major in English, Don sacrificed ten consecutive summers to attend classes at the University of British Columbia in addition to working full-time. When he was away studying, Marlene was left with their young family spending the summer months at the family cabin on Little Shuswap Lake. Don taught woodworking for an impressive 30-plus years before retiring.
Don's love and skill of working with wood translated over into a myriad of different projects that kept him busy for hours before and after retirement. For example, he made a small sailboat, a dining table, a buffet, train sets, rocking horses, hope chests, old-fashioned spinning wheels, bird houses, beehives and boxes of all shapes and sizes. If he was not in his shop or out in the garden, he loved to hike, rock climb, fish and fly-tie.
