LYNN ALLEN

1929 ~ 2013 On Sunday, December 22, 2013, Robert Lynn Allen passed away at the age of 84.  Lynn was born in the Islay area of Alberta and moved to Edmonton at a young age.

There, he met his future wife, Raye, when he stopped in at her parent’s coffee shop.  She found him to be charming, handsome, a good dancer, and bonus, he even had his own car, a fixer upper, but still, a rarity in their age group back then.  In the early sixties, a former neighbour sent them an ad for a business for sale in the Hat. Risking all they had, they bought the business and moved their family of 4 young children to the Hat where they operated Hat Alignment and Frame Service until his retirement in the eighties.  Dad’s lifelong passion was flying.  As kids, we knew that Sunday drives and holidays would, inevitably, involve a stop at an airport to watch planes land and take off.  He was eventually able to achieve his dream of obtaining his private pilot’s license.  Another dream was to build his own plane, a feat he accomplished after several years of labour, aka fun.  Without fanfare, he took his first flight in that plane on July 12, 1992.  The following day, the Medicine Hat News featured a photo of the plane lying in a field, upside down and beaten up.  The caption read: “Maiden Flight likely last for kit plane”.  Oops!  Dad, miraculously, walked away from the crash with just a few cuts and bruises.  He, both solo and with family members or friends sitting beside him, continued to enjoy flying for years afterwards, although never again in his own home built.  Lynn was predeceased by his wife, Raye, in November, 2011. He will live on, with love, in the hearts and memories of their 4 children, Carol (Glen), Dave (Gail), Judy (Lloyd), and Sharon;  7 grandchildren, Dale, Sean, Neil, Amber, Susan, Erin, and Brett as well as 4 great- grandchildren. In Lynn’s honour, a Memorial Service will be held in the spring of 2014.  (Condolences may be expressed by visiting www.cooksouthland.com)  Honoured to serve the family is Cook Southland Funeral Chapel, 901 – 13th Street S.W. Medicine Hat, Alberta T1A 4V4 Phone 403-527-6455