Mr. John Edward Allen, Jr. was born on October 27, 1943 in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee to John Ed Allen, Sr. and Mamie Malugin Allen. John was proud of his Mt. Pleasant heritage, having graduated from Hay Long High School.
He proudly served his country in the Special Forces as a Green Beret during the Vietnam War. He was in country for sixteen months and was wounded twice during his time there, and was consequently awarded the Purple Heart.
John was a very intelligent man, having earned a master’s degree from UT Nashville. He retired from Maury Regional Medical Center as a social worker in the Chemical Dependency Unit. In addition to his career, he also was a very skilled carpenter and a man of many trades. He loved working on lawnmowers, reading mystery and suspense novels, working crossword puzzles and shooting pool. He was a big fan of UT football – Go Big Orange! In addition to all of this he was a black belt in Wado Ryo Karate. He was married for 28 years to Dorothy Pitts Allen.
After living a very full life, John passed away following an extended illness on Friday, October 16, 2015, at his home.
John is survived by his loving wife: Dorothy Pitts Allen, of Columbia; children: Donna (Matt) Nelson of Columbia, Sheri (Rob) Hill of Hermitage, Elizabeth Searle of Columbia, John Garlon (Brenda) Allen of Columbia and Kim (Chris) Woody of Columbia; grandchildren: Brittany Riley, Samantha Riley, Robbie Hill, Andrew Hennessy, Kara Searle and C. J. Woody; great-grandchildren: Kenna Riley, Brynlee Riley and Lyviana Riley; brother: Bill (Julie) Allen of Raleigh, NC. He was preceded in death by his parents: John Ed Allen, Sr. and Mamie Malugin Allen; and granddaughter: Ashley Michelle Brooks.
Funeral services for Mr. Allen will be held on Monday, October 19, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. at Williams Funeral Home in Columbia, Tennessee. Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens. The family will visit with friends on Sunday, October 18, 2015 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. also at the funeral home.
Chris Woody, Matt Nelson, Andrew Hennessy, David Pitts, Gary Pitts, Mark Pitts and Kenneth Pitts will serve as pallbearers.
Williams Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements and online condolences may be made to the family at www.williamsfh.com.
