Bill grew up in the small east Alabama town of Wadley the youngest of three brothers and was the son of R.G. and Beatrice Allen. Being born in the first year of the Great Depression, life was often hard for he and his family, but they persevered and it helped to shape his character in a good way.
In August of 1947, following in the footsteps of his brothers Edward (a bomber pilot in WW II) and Ralph (an infantryman in WW II), he enlisted in the Army Air Corps which then became the US Air Force. He was assigned to the 99th Bomb Group and was honorably discharged in in June of 1950 at the rank of Corporal. He then served in the Alabama National Guard until his discharge in October 1955 at the rank of Sergeant.
He began working at Transcontinental Gas Pipeline there in Wadley until he was transferred to Transco's pumping facility in Sandersville, Mississippi. Before moving however, this tall skinny guy married a pretty blonde girl from Wadley named Carolyn Hardy on April 4th, 1956. They moved to Sandersville, Mississippi and soon after to Heidelberg, Mississippi which became their home as they fell in love with the people of this little town.
In Heidelberg, they raised three children and made many life-long friends. Bill served at Transco for 33 years as a Class A Technician. He really enjoyed trouble shooting and fixing those huge engines.
Bill enjoyed deer hunting and fishing – especially for white perch. He also thoroughly enjoyed his hobby of repairing and rebuilding Briggs and Stratton small engines. However, what he most enjoyed was his family and his grandchildren in particular. He was always quick to express his love to his family and enjoyed spoiling his grandchildren.
Bill is survived by his wife of almost 63 years, Carolyn Hardy Allen, now residing at the MS Care Center in Morton, MS; his children Brannan G. (BG) Allen (Angela) of Brandon, MS, Bill H. Allen (Cathy) of Pelahatchie, MS, and Gina Allen Hand (Kevin) of Denham Springs, LA; his grandchildren Lauren Allen, Keely Allen, Justin Allen (Hannah), Casey Allen, Josh Hand (Lauren), Heather Olivier (Blake), and Jessie Hand; and his great-grandchildren J.P. Allen, Charlsey Anne Allen, and Briggs Olivier. He is pre-deceased by his great-grandchild Owen Olivier.
Visitation will be at the Heidelberg Baptist Church in Heidelberg, MS from 5:00 – 8:00pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 and the funeral will be on Wednesday, February 27th, 2019 at 1:00pm at the Heidelberg Baptist Church.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please make donations to the fund set up in honor of Bill's great-grandson, Owen Olivier. The Owen Alexander Olivier Scholarship provides children with Down Syndrome in Louisiana with the opportunity to receive music therapy or hippo therapy. Donations can be made online at www.upside-downs.org or mailed to Upside-Downs, PO Box 1819, Thibodeaux, LA 70302.
To sign the online guest book, visit www.memorychapellaurel.com.