Bob Allen
Walter Robert Allen Jr. (Bob), 88, died peacefully at his Meridian home on June 7, 2024. He was born on February 2, 1936, in Walla Walla, Washington, the son of Walter Robert Allen Sr. and Edna H Garbe.
Bob graduated from Walla Walla High School, class of 1954, where he was the Vice-President of the FD Hi-Y Club and Captain of the ROTC. He was athletic and fast. He ran track and also did some boxing. Bob loved music and learned to play the piano and sang in the choir all 4 years of high school.
Bob attended one year of college at Washington State College in Pullman and then enlisted in the US Army in 1955. Bob trained as an Engineer Parts Specialist and was sent overseas to Korea for 16 months. Upon his return to the states in 1957, Bob transferred to the US Amy Reserves and then started a career in Industrial Sales. He later landed a job with Standard Oil as a sales rep and lived in Spokane, Portland and then was transferred to Boise in 1969.
In 1970 he met Verla Sharp in Boise, and they were married in April of that year. After receiving the news that Standard Oil wanted to transfer him to San Francisco, Bob decided instead to lease a Standard Oil Chevron station in downtown Boise that needed a new manager. This kept the family in Boise and later gave Bob the chance to purchase his own Chevron station on Broadway Avenue in 1973. Bob owned and operated the Broadway Chevron for 33 years until his retirement in 2006. He was truly a people person, and his customers loved him!
Bob loved the outdoors and loved hunting and fishing and collecting guns. He also loved the Oregon Coast and took the family on many family vacations to Cannon Beach and Seaside Oregon. He loved serving his country and was proud to be an American.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased in death by his daughter Laura Allen Bold. Surviving in addition to his wife Verla (Sharp) Allen, are his brothers Jim Allen of Walla Walla, and Tom Allen of Spokane, and his sister Catherine Allen Anderson of Pullman, his step-children Brenda and husband Joe Hanson of Boise, Mike, and wife Miriam Westover of Boise, Deanene and husband Jay Thompson of Meridian, and Miles and wife Lori Christensen of Boise. He had 14 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. Bob and Verla celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary last April.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am, on Friday, June 14, 2024, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 11443 W. McMillan Rd. in Boise with visitation beginning at 10:00 am at the church. Burial with military honors will follow the funeral service at Cloverdale Memorial Park, 1200 N. Cloverdale Rd. in Boise.
Arrangements are under the direction of Bowman Funeral Parlor of Garden City.