| Location | Portadown, Northern Ireland |
| Age | 85 years |
| Date of Birth | 6/1921 |
| Date of Death | 12/2006 |
| Visitors | 2,443 since 22/12/2006 |
| Creator |
George Allen of Mullentine, Portadown, passed away peacefully today, Dec 22nd at Craigavon Hospital. The funeral will be at 2pm Sunday Dec 24th at Edenderry Presbyterian church ( 1st Portadown).. More info to follow.
John Allen ( son)
George was one of the Lord's greatest servants.
Dear Frances and family,
What a sad time to see such a dear friend leave us. Thank God he is in Jesus' arms now and singing one of those great Irish hymns.
We miss you Frances. Our thoughts are with you and the family.
With our love and prayers,
Tony and Jan
A Man off Reconciliation & Joy
Geroge Allen was a pioneer in the breaking down of the sectarian barrier which has divided our island. He had a passion for the gospel of reconciliation with God through the finished work of the cross. He hated to see the message of the gospel veiled behind denominational traditons and political agendas.
I first met him as a seminary student in Maynoth College in 1972. I had just beome born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. In fear and trembling, but with love in their hearts George, Billy Burke, Harry Ferguson and Hector Crory ventured to meet these born again Catholics . When they arrived it was already past 10.00 p.m and entering the Catholic hall they were taken aback to find over a hundred young people hands lifted up toward heaven praisng God with loud Alleluias and sharing the word of God. It was then I discovered my brother, Geroge and he has been my brother and friend ever since.
He came to conferences we hosted in Lmerick a number of times in the seventies, and in the last few years we have had the joy of reneweing our friendship when,ministering in Northen Ireland. He had lost none of his zeal nor excitement about the things of God.
He longed to see all men loving God, loving one another and loving and reaching the lost. His life exemplified this and we look forward to the reunion when Jesus returns.
Paul (& Nuala) O'Higgins (Reconciliation Outreach)
A Life Long Example Of Godliness
This man has been known by a variety of names, but Mr Allen he was and shall remain to me. Even in adulthood I could never bring myself to call him George, for my father had taught me to call him Mr Allen.
As a child I spent a lot of time in hospital due to eye operations. On my return home, without fail Mr allen would call and pray with me. What a truely lovely man. I thank God for his example and realise now as an aduld Christian how important and effective pray is.
My last time with Mr Allen was with my Uncle Tom Preston in the retiremnt home, where he visited every week while he was able. We prayed and read the scriptures together with uncle T, what a great time we had. A taste of heaven. I know uncle T will miss him dearly.
Where we close friends? No but we where brothers in the Lord, and I thank God for his example and kindness.
I pray for all the family that God will comfort you and help you learn to live without you loved one. Take comfort in the fact that others share your loss and are praying for you
George Allen's eulogy
This was the text of the address given to the congregation gathered a First Presbyterian Church, Portadown on Dec 24th 2006. Due to time constraints, some sections were skipped during the funeral service. The whole text is here below.
John Allen Dec 27th 2006
Good afternoon, Ladies and gentlemen.
It is my sad duty today to bring you a brief biographical sketch of my father , George Allen, from a family perspective.
He was known by many names.
" Geordie" to his siblings.
"GA" around the farm and busineses.
" Wee Red" or " Red" when he wasn't listening but he was " Dad" to us.
Dad was born in Portadown 85 and a half years ago. His father , John Allen, and his mother, Mary ( a Burke) had recently moved from Hamiltonsbawn to the new farm at Mullentine where Dad spent all his life with only a brief sidetrip to Ridgeway Park and the Pines in Lurgan.
He was the youngest of five Allen boys ( Tommy, Jim, Billy, Bob and Geordie) and had four sisters, Ivy, Pru, Lill and Una. ( Ivy and Una are with us today).
The Allen family home and farm included the traditional wide range of crops, animals and products and everyone was required to pull their weight. From this early training, Dad developed a strong work ethic which those around him often experienced as exhaustion when he was being particularly industrious.
His father, John, was also a major cattle dealer, buying and shipping bullocks weekly to York in England.
Dad's early education was at the Academy school where boss Espie meted out instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic and also corporal punishment.
Dad was not a particularly enthusiastic pupil and an encounter with a scythe in the orchard reduced the usefulnes of his left eye. It was only after his conversion that he realised that he needed to upgrade his reading and writing skills because he wanted to read and understand one particular book, the Bible. With the help of a gracious, elderly, retired missionary, ( Miss livingstone who lived on the Armagh Road) and this one book, he eventually graduated as a mature student.
The Academy School was closed and the pupils were moved to the Hart Memorial where dad escaped from formal education at 13. While there, he met a pretty girl from Ballyoran called Frances Lester. At 13, Dad's father , John, presented him with a suit of clothes, a pair of boots and an ash plant stick and told him that he was now equipped to earn a living. He did so by droving cattle for his brother Tommy and others and by helping in his brother Jim's butcher shop.
He hadn't forgotten about Frances Lester, though, and the butcher boy's bicycle developed a navigation problem which meant that , no matter where the delivery, the route seemed to involve The Walk and Ballyoran when a certain young lady was walking to or from work.
At 17, Dad started buying and selling on his own behalf and became, like his brothers, a cattle dealer. He was helped in this by Davey Black, his father's long-time employee and a rustic font of knowledge about the countryside and rural skills.
When war came, Dad, like his contemporaries, tried to join up but his damaged left eye relegated him to the Home Guard.
Dad succeeded , though, in winning the hand of Frances Lester and they married in 1943 and soon joined the Carleton Home Club where Mum had seven short stays coming home with Lorna, Frankie, myself, Tim, Rose, Audrey and Heather.
As a parent, Dad was playful, loving, and affectionate, spending what time he could with us undividually, though a brood this size required a few rules to function smoothly. Everyone understood that rules were not negotiable. You knew, when dealing with Dad, that Moses had come down the mountain with Ten Commandments, not Ten Suggestions. "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy" for example. No work was performed on Sunday except the absolutely necessary feeding or helping an animal in distress. Other cattle dealers might spend Sunday driving to some distant Monday fair. GA set the alarm for five after midnight and we were off on a cross-country dash to a fair in Ballinasloe or Ennistymon where all the buying was completed by flashlight before the sun came up on Monday morning, but well after the Sabbath had ended.
He added quite a few rules of his own to the Biblical lexicon. No gossip. No bad language. No whinging etc. He also believed that children neded lots of practice in the proper operation of the dreaded yard brush. Mullentine, like all his properties, was always clean and tidy.
Dad had a great sense of style. Always a snappy dresser, he invested in good clothes even though he knew his new camelhair jacket or Borsalino hat would, inevitably, become a victim of an agricultural lifestyle. We also enjoyed being surprised by a ride in some exotic cars. Borwards, Bentleys, Maseratis and Merceds would all appear at Mullentine or at the caravan at Cranfield to be packed with kids and taken for a spin. One day, shortly after I started driving on the road, I was driving him to Enniskillen in an Aston Martin DB5, the James Bond model. He had promised to be at a meeting and we were running late so, when we came to a very long straight with no traffic in sight, I was instructed to " give her the gutty" . I did. I doubt if there are many teenage boys have had their dad tell them they are driving too slow when they are already doing 90 MPH . I thoroughly enjoyed the brief sprint to 140 MPH (despite having parental approval) and Dad kept his appointment. I need to point out that this was a perfectly legal speed as there were no speed limits outside town in those days and very little traffic. And no, we didn't share this story with Mum.
In addition to his marriage to our wonderful mother, the other defining moment in Dad's life came when , standing in an old cattle shed, he watched a swallow fly through and , like Saul on the road to Tarsus, was struck with a realisation that he needed to give his life to the Lord and he did so, unreservedly. Spreading the gospel became his mission in life and he chose to do it here, where he saw great need close to home. As a proudly Christian businessman, he led by example, proving that the diligent application of christian principles is no barrier to success. People who did not know him were often suprised when this plain-spoken farmer casually held out his hand to agree on a major purchase. They soon learned that he was financially capable, his word was his bond and he could be relied upon, whether the handshake was for a tiny foal or a large farm. As a role model for business people, GA has set a standard which is one of his great legacies .
Dad travelled the world in pursuit of new experiences in church life and business . The USA, Canada, Hawaii, Africa, the Mediterranean, France and the Holy Land were all explored with family and friends but he settled on Arizona as his winter home, later in life. There, he and Mum spent many happy, sunny winters at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, graciously receiving visits from family and friends. Maybe it was the boyhood images on the sceen at Sommerson's picture house which had infected him but he seemed to crave the cowboy life. He was able to indulge this with his ranch at Dewey and even got to ride the range on horseback, though he was better in his Isuzu Trooper 4x4 which is still sitting there, waiting for him. If you ever get lost in the blue hills of Prescott and start seeing roads with Irish names, you'll know you've stumbled into yet another corner of the world where GA has left his mark.
The fact that Dad has lived to 85 1/2 is , itself, a miracle, considering the many times he has scared us with life-threatening illnesses. Dr. Frank Pantridge, the leading heart specialist and inventor of the coronary defibrillator, couldn't understand why GA's heart kept going at all, and that was 45 years ago.
Dad himself acknowledged recently that he was "worn out". What we need to recognise today, is that he wore himself out in the service of his family, his community and his Lord.
If I were to choose an epitath for Dad, I would reflect his love of plain speech and scripture and simply say:- " Well done, good and faithful servant. "
John Allen. Dec 24th 2006, Edenderry First Presbyterian church.
Photos etc at :- www.george-allen-portadown.gonetoosoon.co.uk . johnjallen@shaw.ca
The Light & Salt of The World
On my mothers side of our family, "Uncle Geordie" took over from his late brother Jim as my figurehead as mentor. He stood where I feel not many do in this generation, a true reflection of God, His love and compassion. He cared for my late grandmother Agnes. I thank God for Uncle George's inspiration and motivation which, after my grandfathers childrens meeting at his home in Donaghadee, led me to the Lord,drew me through George's encouragement to step out with God in to outreach to Chidren @ Risk in Eastern Europe. I am thankful that God has had such a servant, and know that work in this programme, like others we may never know about, the extent of Uncle Georges influence, contribution, and prayers, will remain a massive part of his legacy.
I wish to extend my condolences to Auntie Francis and John through to Heather. Also to those folk who cared a great deal for Uncle Geordie both physically and prayerfully.
Hallelujah Uncle George!
An Old Irish Blessing for George Allen and family
May the road rise to meet you
The wind be on your back
The rain fall soft upon your fields
The sun shine warm upon your face
And until you all meet again
May God hold you safely in the hollow of His Hand
The family of the late Michael Morgan, Navan Road, Dublin.
Liam, Maura, Betty, Olive, Derry Ann, Audrey and Michael
Friday Evening " Celebration of Life"
On Friday 29th we will have a gathering at the church hall at Edenderry Presbyterian to share some memories of my father, a very unique individual. Dad had many friends in the worlds of gospel, church, farming, horse breeding, car business, cattle trade and fine art. We hope to be able to bring these worlds together as we remember him and the influence he had on so many lives. We will have light refreshment and lots of photos so please join us from 7.30pm as we give GA a good, Ulster, send-off.
The family is very grateful for all the support shown in recent days, especially during the Christmas Eve funeral.
John
Best friend for 25 years
I first met George through the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship and we became instant friends.
I'll always remember the times that we spent together with great joy. He loved the Word of God above everything and we spent many hours discussing the wonders of the Love that is contained in it's pages.
So thankful we had two weeks together last year. This worlds loss is Heavens gain and I know George & Jesus are happy together.
Most respected Christian elder
I am happy to have visited the Allens early this year thinking that I did not want George or Frances to "sneak home" before I saw them one more time. I am glad I did.
He truly is the man I most respected in my life. We met in 1983 in Phoenix at FGBMFI convention and joined the Airlift to Ireland in April. George alwayws had a story, a scripture and a "word of prayer". He really is my favorite hero.
His passing reminds me of some lyrics..."He went home for Christmas".
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There have been 5 candles lit for George.
