James Charles "Jim" Allen

James C. Allen NATICK James "Jim" Charles Allen, 74, a Natick resident for 45 years, died Oct. 8, 2008, after a brief illness, at MetroWest Medical Center in Natick. Son of the late James C. and Anna (Muller) Allen, Jim was born in Boston and raised in Roslindale. Jim served in the United States Navy during the Korean conflict. He was employed as a technician for Western Electric in Watertown until his retirement in 1991. For the past 15 years, Jim had found great satisfaction and reward as a driver for special needs students in a number of MetroWest towns, most recently for the Town of Wellesley. A true beach bum, Jim was a summer resident of Wells, Maine, for the past 25 years. He was an active member of St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Natick, enjoyed playing golf, horseshoes and cards. Jims true enjoyment was found spending time with his cherished grandchildren. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Linda R. (Syrett) Allen; his children, L. Christine Maloney and her husband, Mike, of Upton, Karen Lutz and her husband, Mark, of Kennewick, Wash., Kevin Allen and his wife, Tammy, of Boylston, Kenneth Allen and his wife, Stacie, of Wayland and the late James Walter Allen; and his cherished grandchildren, Josh, Jeff, Elizabeth, Nick, Samantha, Rachel, Brooke, James, Kelsey, Emily, Kasey and Ryan. He was the brother of the late Bill Allen of Plymouth. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a funeral at St. Pauls Episcopal Church, 39 E. Central St. (Rte. 135), Natick, Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Dell Park Cemetery, Natick. Visiting hours at John Everett & Sons Funeral Home (www.everettfuneral.com), 4 Park St. at Natick Common, are Monday, Oct. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m. Expressions of sympathy in Jims memory may be made to Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Leukemia Research, 10 Brookline Place, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-9924.