April 20, 1938 - October 3, 2023
Roy Arthur Allen of Loveland, Colorado passed away at Pathways Inpatient Care Center in Fort Collins, CO on October 3, 2023 after a long and hard-fought struggle with cancer.
Roy was born April 20, 1938 in Conrad, Montana to Reverend Durward and Verna Allen. Roy and his three siblings moved frequently as his father pastored churches across the West. He graduated from high school in Casper, Wyoming and graduated in 1960 from college at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma. He then completed graduate courses at the University of Wyoming. Roy spent his career as a geologist and geophysicist working in oil and gas exploration.
While on a seismograph crew, Roy met Sally Smith on a “blind date” in Buffalo, Wyoming where she was on a summer break from teaching in Casper. Their brief courtship was mixed with affection and an unwavering commitment. They married in Buffalo, Wyoming on December 29, 1963, and would have marked their 60th anniversary in 2023. They had two children, Michele and Mike who both, ultimately, grew up to be Family Medicine physicians.
Roy worked for Mobil Oil for most of his career. He was involved in multiple professional societies and constantly expanded his knowledge and technological expertise. His work took him around the world and his family around the US. He was relocated to Wyoming, Texas, California, Alaska, and Colorado. All these moves brought his family to new adventures and communities to call home.
Roy had a passion for the outdoors, and particularly for fly-fishing. It was a hobby he learned from his father and father-in-law and passed on to his children and grandchildren. Roy fished streams and rivers across Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Much family lore revolved around fishing trips, including a memorable encounter with a Kodiak grizzly when salmon fishing with his brother and brother-in-law in Alaska. For many years, he enjoyed hiking, skiing, and backpacking with family and friends.
After retirement, Roy was active in many Loveland volunteer organizations. He was a long time member of the First United Methodist Church in Loveland and served on multiple committees, Methodist Men’s group activities and ushering. He participated in mission trips to the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, New Orleans, after hurricane Katrina, and Greensburg, Kansas after the town experienced a devastating tornado. For several years, he was an active volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and the Community Kitchen. Roy was a committed Rotarian where he participated in the annual Duck Race and served on the Scholarship Committee. He was also a member of the Paul Harris Society. Perhaps his favorite and most meaningful volunteer activity was KidsPak, where he delivered weekend food bags for children experiencing food insecurity in schools across Thompson School District.
When he was not volunteering, Roy spent endless hours working in his yard. He reluctantly yielded some hours that he could have devoted to the yard, to his love of reading books and watching the Broncos, Avalanche, Nuggets, and, at times, the Rockies.
Roy will be remembered for his love and commitment to family and friends, deep faith, passion for the outdoors, and energy in finding good solutions to getting things accomplished. His children, their spouses, and grandchildren looked to him for inspiration and guidance. It was his treasured time with his grandchildren that brought Roy the most joy. He celebrated their many talents and interests and lovingly passed along his life experiences to help them develop a resilience and character that only he could share with them.
Roy is survived by his wife Sally Allen, daughter Michele Allen (Jen Glaeser), and son Mike Allen (Meghan); grandchildren Harper, Cyrena, Julian, and Quinn; siblings Judee Filip; Ray Allen (Nancy) and Jan Redding (Joe); and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A memorial service will be held November 3, 2023 at 2pm at the First United Methodist Church of Loveland, 533 North Grant Avenue, Loveland CO 80537, with a reception following at the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Roy’s memory to the First United Methodist Church of Loveland (by mail) or to KidsPack (link to donation page https://www.kidspak.org/how-to-donate/ or mail to KidsPak, PO Box 2078, Loveland, CO 80539).
