Richard Dale Allen

Richard Dale “Rick” Allen, age 74 of Knoxville, passed away from complications of kidney disease on March 16, 2022. Rick was raised in Corryton Baptist Church, attended Calvary Baptist Church for many years and had been a member of Beaver Dam Baptist since 1998 at the time of his death. A native of Corryton, he graduated from Gibbs High School in 1965. Following a brief stint at the University of Tennessee, he worked for Ray Geophysical Company in Texas and spent two years living in Dakar (Senegal), London and Amsterdam on oil exploration rigs. He began working at KUB as a lineman in 1969 and, after returning to the UT College of Engineering as an adult, he graduated as an electrical engineer in 1979 and retired from KUB in 1999 after 30 years of service. Rick was a good musician - he was an original member of The Freeborn Singers Quartet, played trombone in the UT band, and, at various times, sang in the choir or played in the orchestra at Calvary and Beaver Dam. For many years, Rick worked as a professional Santa Claus with most of his Christmas seasons being spent in the New York City area. Rick will be most remembered as an avid Harley rider. He was easily recognizable on the road with his broad frame in the rider’s seat, his helmet covered with inappropriate stickers, and his cane mounted across the windshield fairing. He was happiest when he was riding some back country road or planning his next weeks-long motorcycle trip. Had his health not began to fail, he would have been able to complete his last scheduled trip to Oregon and Washington and would have met his goal of riding his bike to every state in the continental U.S. Rick was preceded in death by the beloved family members who raised him, Luther and Hazel Collinsworth; great-aunts, Ruth and Nell Smith. Rick is survived by his wife of 46 years, Anne Cain Allen; son, David Houston Allen; grandson, Axl Eirnan Allen; Axl’s mother, Elizabeth Ballard; mother-in-law, Madge Coomer Cain; sisters-in-law, Carolyn Cain Lovelace and Linda Cain Ruth; lifelong friends, Gary Acuff, Dennis Neubert, and Bob Underwood; special cousins, Diane Chandler Little, Susan Pickel, and Janice Bounds. A memorial service will be held at 6:30 pm Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at Beaver Dam Baptist Church. Friends may greet the family in the Fellowship Hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Beaver Dam Music Ministry, 4328 East Emory Road, Knoxville, TN 37938 or the Hospice Promise Foundation, 4435 Valley View Drive, Suite 104, Knoxville TN 37917. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mynattfh.com