David Lee Allen

1941 - 2020

David Lee Allen

David Lee Allen, 78, passed away Friday, December 6, 2019 losing his battle with cancer, but going out on his own terms with his loving wife Norma by his side.

David was born October 23, 1941 in Bremerton, Washington to parents Cyril and Esther Allen, completing the family and joining his only sibling Carol. It was war time and his father Cy was working as a welder in the Bremerton ship yards. Following the war, the family relocated to Glendive, Montana, an eastern Montana oil town where David was raised. Graduating from Dawson County High School in the spring of 1959, David and eight of his close friends, on a dare and a whim, enlisted in the National Guard and jumped on a train to Fort Ord, California for basic training. The next four months were spent in Ft. Knox, Kentucky where Dave learned how to operate a tank with his close friend Jack Amundson.

David went on to attend Montana State University in Bozeman, MT completing the remainder of his National Guard duty and studying Mechanical Engineering and Business. Even though David did his fair share of rabble rousing in Bozeman during college, his next 54 years became destined when he met the love of his life, Norma Woods, a fellow MSU classmate, marrying September 11, 1965 in Helena, MT where Norma was raised.

In 1966 David accepted a position with Motorola Communications in the progressive Electronics and Communications division in Billings, Montana. His amazing career with Motorola took David and Norma on incredible adventures living in Washington, Oregon, Alaska and California. One of the high points of David's career with Motorola was on the construction of the Alyeska Pipeline project, managing a new frontier office for Motorola in Anchorage and building a radio communications infrastructure for this massive project. Those were the days before cell technology and the branch played a critical communications role for the area. David continued to hold management positions with Motorola until making a decision to leave the company

and slow their pace of travel, settling in Visalia, CA, purchasing Lakes Decorating Center in 1986. David and Norma were ab le to grow a very successful business through hard work and innovative products. David realized, however, that to continue their success, a new product line was necessary. He soon decided that a premium paint line could blend well with their existing products and provide their customers with single source decorating options. The Benjamin Moore paint line was added and proved to be a valuable addition which was well received by current and new customers. Their success also allowed them to give back to the Visalia community which they greatly loved. David and Norma worked side by side in the business up until his retirement and sale of the business in 2017.

David was known by friends and family for his work ethic, his caring, generous nature and love of life. He enjoyed working in the yard, golfing, reading and music.

Dave and Norma enjoyed many years of cruising, trips to Hawaii and traveling to visit family. The coast was his favorite go to place.

He is survived by his loving wife, Norma; sister Carol (Ed) Schlauch, sisters-in-law, Vicki Schledewitz, Dolores Richter and Darlene Pittman and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of David's life is scheduled for Saturday, January 18, 2020 at 11 a.m. at Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 W. Goshen Avenue in Visalia, followed by a lunch reception at The Marriott Hotel in downtown Visalia.

In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to the SPCA, American Cancer Society or organization of choice.

Tributes and condolences may be made at www.millerchapel.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Miller Memorial Chapel, 1120 W. Goshen Avenue, Visalia, CA (559) 732-8371