Allan Lobel

1931 - 2018

July 15, 1931 - October 5, 2018 Allan Lobel, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died peacefully at his home in Irvine, CA, on October 5, 2018, at the age of 87, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Florence; his three sons, Perry, Robert and Edward; and six grandchildren – Mike and Allison, John and Ricky, Natalie and Alex. Allan was born in Montreal to Joseph and Florence Lobel (née Golding). He was their second son; his older brother, Seymour, survives him. Always an apt student, Allan also worked summers starting at the age of 13 to earn pocket money. However, by the time Allan graduated high school, his family had less than $100 in the bank and no car. Accordingly, in 1949 the family embarked on a program of weekly contributions to a joint savings fund. By this time Allan was working at a women's shoe store on St. Catherine St. One day a young and pretty customer walked in, and Allan sold her a pair of baby doll pumps. He complimented her on her beautiful feet. As it turned out, she lived just around the corner from the store, and Allan would see her from time to time afterwards. He soon asked her out to lunch. This customer turned out to be the love of his life, his wife Florence Lobel (née McIsaac). They would marry in Montreal in 1956 and raise a family together. Meanwhile, the family savings fund had grown to $6,000 – a tidy sum in the 1950s. These funds would provide the crucial seed money for Allan and Seymour's first foray into the business world – Bonded Auto Sales, a used car dealership. Allan and Seymour would remain business partners for the next 25 years in a variety of increasingly large and profitable businesses. After the used car dealership, they owned a fleet of taxis; finally, they embarked on a series of vacation home real estate development ventures in the townships of Montreal. Then in 1977, due to the political uncertainty caused by the Quebec Separatism movement, Allan decided to leave his birthplace of Montreal and move his family to Southern California; Seymour did the same. Both had agreed in advance that their business partnership would dissolve once they reached California. As always, Allan landed on his feet; he incorporated A-L Financial Corp., a California-based auto finance lender, in December of 1977. The fact that he had never been in the finance business before did not deter him in the least. He was bold. He saw the possibilities of the business, and knew from experience that he could learn its secrets. The company eventually grew to multiple locations, employed many people – including his three sons – and remains a going concern to this day. Throughout his active life, Allan has always been a devoted family man. He was very close to his daughters-in-law Diana Lobel (née Gauder) and Elise Lobel (née Pappin), who survive him, as well as to Sherry Lobel (née Rathsam), who predeceased him. Allan especially cherished the tradition of annual Lobel family vacations. Every year since 1987, a Lobel family member has chosen a destination for the three generations to visit together – grandparents, sons and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. The beautiful memories formed on these trips will remain a blessing to us all. Allan Lobel will be interred in a private ceremony at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, CA. In lieu of sending flowers, kindly consider a donation to the Ulcerative Colitis Foundation: www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org