John B. Allen, age 84, of Ireland

John was born in Ireland, Indiana on November 5, 1939, to teachers, Roy W. and Henrietta B. (Heim) Allen. He married Camilla Schuetter on February 8, 1964, in St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jasper. 

He was a 1957 graduate of Ireland High School. He completed his dental technician schooling at Elkhart University where he also played basketball as a leading scorer.   In addition to dental work, he mastered many skills in other areas of work including woodworking at Stylemasters, Jasper Corporation, and Kimball Upholstery. He also was an electrician at Jasper Electric and Gaylor Electric in Indianapolis. He managed family restaurants at Druther’s Restaurant and Dairy Queen. 

He was a lifelong member of St. Mary Catholic Church in Ireland, Ireland Sportsman Club, and the Ireland Historical Society. He was a sports enthusiast with local sports. He coached little league and girls softball. His favorite teams were the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Browns. He liked to fish, garden, mow grass, plant flowers, and play the lottery. Family trips to Gatlinburg were always a favorite of his. But John mostly loved and enjoyed his family, especially teaching the grandchildren and great-grandchildren how to play cards and look for O-76 in bingo. 

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Camilla Allen, Ireland; two daughters: Julie (Danny) Schutz, Jasper; and Cathy (Kenny) Egler, Ireland; two sons: Chris (Kim) Allen, New Salisbury; and Jamison (Rachel) Allen, Indianapolis; 9 grandchildren: Melissa (Craig) LeMond, Megan (Dave) Parscal, Kendra (Colin) Copler, Claire (Tim) Engle, Cameron (Olivia) Egler, Dawson Allen, and Abigail, Roxanne, and Grace Allen. 6 great-grandchildren: Karleigh, Keyan, and Kwynn LeMond, and Madalynn, Karsynn, and Austin Parscal, one sister, Loretta “Toby” (Russell) Jaent, and their children: Angela (Brian) Ziliak, Bryan Jaent, and Cynthia (Todd) Kempf. 

He is preceded in death by his brother, Robert “Bob” Allen and a sister who died in infancy. The family would like to extend a special thanks to St. Charles Health Campus and Heart-to-Heart Hospice for their exceptional care of John. 

A Mass of Christian Burial for John B. Allen will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 20, 2024, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Ireland with burial to follow in the church cemetery.  A visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the Becher-Kluesner Downtown Chapel in Jasper and from 9:00 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. Mass time on Friday at church.  St Mary Catholic Church will pray a rosary at 2:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary Catholic Church or to a favorite charity.