Curtis Richard Allen

Curtis Richard Allen 1929 – 2019 Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather peacefully departed this life at home on March 12, 2019. He was 89. Curtis was born in Salt Lake City on September 23, 1929 to Harold B. and Jennie B. Allen. He grew up in Preston, Idaho where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, art, track, and working at his father's gasoline and oil business.

After graduating from Preston High School in 1947, Curtis attended Utah State University before enlisting in the U.S. Army. As part of an Engineering Technical Intelligence team, he served with distinction in the Korean War. Upon his release from active duty, Curtis married Elaine Fisher (Oxford, ID) in the Logan Utah Temple in 1952. On March 17, 2019 they would have celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary. Curtis and Elaine are the parents of five children: Nancy (Bountiful, UT), Lawrence (died in infancy), Tracy (Hooper, UT), Pam Hansen (West Jordan, UT), and Ken (North Salt Lake, UT). After Congress passed the G.I. Bill, they moved to Logan so he could pursue his education, graduating with honors in Civil Engineering.

Curtis' career took him and his family to Idaho, Ohio, California, New Jersey, Michigan, and back to Utah. He was involved in many notable engineering and construction management projects that included the U.S. Minuteman Missile program; a nuclear test facility on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; test stands for the Saturn rockets that sent Apollo astronauts to the moon; the "new" U. S. Mint in Philadelphia, PA; the Litton Advanced Products Shipyard in Pascagoula, MS; Detroit Edison's Fermi II nuclear power plant; Solar One, the first solar power plant in the U.S.; the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) in Delta, UT; and many other power plant and infrastructure projects.

In addition to a distinguished career, Curtis was an accomplished landscape painter and artist. His paintings decorate the homes of family members. He enjoyed family history, as well as U.S., Utah, and military history. He was one of the foremost authorities on the Utah War and the military careers of the officers who came to Utah as part of Johnston's Army.

Curtis was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in many callings, including Bishop (Ann Arbor ward, Michigan), High Priest Group Leader, High Councilor, Gospel Doctrine teacher, and Church Service Missionary (LDS Church History Library).

He is survived by his eternal companion, Elaine; children Nancy, Tracy (Lisea), Pam Hansen (Mitch), and Ken (Sydney); sister Lynn Schroader; and 13 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Harold, Keith, and Robert; infant son Lawrence, and infant great grandson James.

A viewing for family and friends will be held on Sunday, March 17, 2019 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Russon  Mortuary, 295 N Main St, Bountiful, UT.  Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 18, 2019 at 11:00 AM at the Porter Lane 3rd Ward,436 West 400 South, Centerville, UT, with a viewing prior to the funeral from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. The interment, with military honors, will be held at Lakeview Cemetery, Bountiful, UT.