PAUL LAURENCE ALLEN

Paul Allen, 78, of Greencastle IN passed away at home on October 25, 2020 with loving family by his side.

Paul was born in Scottsburg, IN on January 4, 1942 to Russell and Hazel Allen.

The family moved to Boswell IN in 1946 where Paul attended all twelve grades and was a proud graduate of Boswell High School in the Class of 1960.

During the late fifties, Paul was a member of the Rockin' Cat-Tels Band that performed in venues in West Central IN and IL. He and a friend later formed a band called The Illusions.

After graduation, Paul attended Indiana University and studied Journalism and Russian.

He joined the USAF in 1963 and was sent to Russian language school on the campus of Syracuse University NY as a member of the Air Force Security Service where he spent one year. He was then assigned to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo TX for further Russian military language training.

While stationed in San Angelo, he met and married Erlinda McKinney in 1965.

After completing his training in San Angelo, he was sent to CA for survival training before being sent to Rhein-Main AFB near Frankfurt Germany.

Paul's assignment in Germany was to fly along the Eastern European border listening for Russian military transmissions, recording and translating them. He also formed a rock band while there. In September of 1967 he received The Air Medal for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight for the USAF.

After his two year tour of duty in Germany, he and his family returned to Boswell where Paul entered Purdue University.

During his summer hiatus from Purdue, they moved to San Angelo TX where he secured a newspaper position with the Standard Times and filled various roles including that of state editor. He loved writing for the newspaper and decided it was his calling.

A colleague at the Standard Times, who was hired by the Tucson Citizen in Tucson AZ, encouraged Paul to apply for a position there. He did and was hired. He and his family moved to Tucson and he began work at the Citizen in 1970. He retired there in 2006 after thirty-six years.

During his career, Paul interviewed hundreds of interesting people and shared their stories. His main focus was on the history of Tucson and the surrounding areas and the life and culture of the local Native American tribes. He and fellow writer, Peter Pegnam, wrote many articles of local historical interest that were later published by Gannett in a three book collection; Our Forgotten Past, Treasure Troves and Tales and Arizona Territory Baptism in Blood.  Allen and Pegnam also collaborated on a book titled, Stu! Your Hair's on Fire! (How a newspaper lived-and died).

Paul had a feature section in the Citizen weekend edition for several years titled, Paul Allen is Lookin' Back on Tucson. He wrote about interesting and long forgotten historical events of the area in his wonderful storytelling manner. It was very popular with readers. He enjoyed it more than any other professional work he had done over the years.

In 2004, Paul was instrumental in gaining the funding for and the commissioning of life size bronze statues of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.  They were dedicated in 2006 to commemorate the anniversary of the Shooting at The OK Corral. They stand proudly at Tucson's historic old depot in the downtown area today.

In 2011, Paul moved back to Indiana and married his Boswell High School classmate, the former Rebecca Dimmich. They enjoyed traveling together around the Eastern United States and back and forth to AZ to visit family.

Paul Allen was truly a Renaissance man. He was first and foremost a writer and storyteller. He was a poet, musician and songwriter, saddlemaker, black powder flintlock and caplock rifle builder and an excellent marksman, bow and arrow maker, knifemaker, artist, briar pipemaker, leather craftsman, a lover of classic country music and an avid pool player.  He enjoyed playing the guitar, violin and viola and pursuing his hobbies in his workshop.

Paul was loved by his Arizona and Indiana blended families, his friends and co-workers and will be missed by all who knew him. He never lost his deep love for Arizona and the memories he held dear of raising his family there and his decades of writing for the Tucson Citizen newspaper. Tucson was his forever home. He spoke often of his appreciation for growing up in the small town of Boswell, of being raised in a family with loving parents and three brothers, of his school years and classmates, of neighbors, childhood playmates, colorful local townspeople, his jobs as a paperboy, detasseling corn and his first newspaper job at the Boswell Enterprise.  Paul held all those memories close to his heart as well.

Paul was preceded in death by his first wife, Erlinda, his parents, Russ and Hazel Allen and a grandson, Paul Laurence Moses.

He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, Greencastle IN and his children from his first marriage including two sons, Carl (Marisela) Allen, San Antonio TX, Eric (Melissa) Allen, Tucson AZ and two daughters, Diana (Mike) Manore, Tucson AZ and Tanya (Matt) Fauss of Tucson, AZ.

Survivors also include three brothers, Eric (Roberta) Allen, Benson AZ, Steve (Donna) Allen, Boswell IN and Randy (Terri) Allen, West Lafayette IN,

a stepson, Steve (Susan) Johnson, Lafayette IN and two stepdaughters, Sheri (Dennis) Massie, West Lafayette IN and Carmen (Todd) Bacon, Crawfordsville IN. He also leaves behind fourteen grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, eight step-grandchildren and five step great-grandchildren.

A private memorial gathering will be held in his honor at a later date. Shoemaker Funeral Home is assisting Paul's Family. Visit www.shoemakerfh.com or Shoemaker Funeral Home- Otterbein, Indiana Facebook page to leave any condolences or to share a memory of Paul.