Charles Melvin Allen

Charles Melvin Allen was born on a young spring day in 1930. He died peacefully at his home in Tucker, Georgia on April 7, 2024, shortly after his 94th birthday. He was also known as Charlie, Mel, Samps and for the last 30 or so years, Papa to his 4 grandchildren. He was born and raised in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He first wandered away to serve in the Navy. He served mostly in California spending time at Moffett Field, in what is now Silicon Valley, and later in San Diego on the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge. He did not see combat, but nevertheless had more adventures than was prudent.
Coming home to Tullahoma, he courted and married Helen Lois Ray and quickly taught her the proper role of a passenger on various Harley Davidson, Indian and Triumph motorcycles that passed through his life. He began work with the Army Corps of Engineers at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma. Charlie stayed with the Corps for his entire career, hopscotching across Florida as a construction engineer building post offices, airports and a variety of government projects. He took his family for a five-year tour in the Republic of Panama and closed his career with his wife, Helen, in Riyad, Saudi Arabia. The foreign postings and their retirement years found them wandering the globe together often and earnestly. During the final week of his life, someone asked him how long he and Helen had been married. He paused briefly and just said softly "not long enough." They were married 66 years.
Charlie passed his retirement years traveling with his wife and friends. He was a regular golfer at his beloved Ft. McPherson Golf Club. He was not a believer in idle hands and was constantly at work on some project. He roofed, painted, installed new floors, repaired, built a barn, two porches and dabbled in plumbing, electrical work. He was known in his neighborhood of Lake Ivanhoe as someone who could help you build a playhouse, close in a garage, rewire your light fixture, or just fix some things. He repaired cars, motorcycles, washing machines, furniture etc. with only a modicum of colorful language. He was always available to help.
Charlie was the second of three boys born to Roy Lee Allen and Clara Aileen Shasteen. He is preceded in death by his wife Helen. His older brother Roy Joseph (Florence) also preceded him in death along with his parents. He was survived by his brother Gerald (Mary Ann) Allen of Tullahoma and his dear sister-in-law Kathy Ray of Atlanta, GA. He took care of her over the years and she took care of him, often by talking to him and asking endless and probing questions. He is also survived by his cherished 1975 Harley-Davidson FLH 1200 Electra Glide.
Charlie and Helen raised three boys, Gary Brent Allen, of Loganville, Georgia, Randall Lee (Mary Lou Montagne) Allen, of Brookhaven Georgia, and Jay Matthew Allen, of McDonough, Georgia. Beginning in 1987, Charlie became Papa with the entry of his grandchildren Randall Lee Allen, Jr., Charleston, South Carolina; Claire Montagne (Sam Melamed) Allen, San Francisco, California; Shelby Raye (Kody Lassiter) Allen, Monroe, Georgia; and Margaux Elizabeth Allen, Athens, Georgia.
A memorial gathering in Charlie's hometown of Tullahoma, Tennessee is currently being arranged.
Online condolences may be left at www.billheadfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements by Bill Head Funeral Home & Crematory Lilburn/Tucker Chapel. 770-564-2726