RICHARD F. "RICH" ALLEN

Richard F. "Rich" Allen, 62, of Theodosia, MO died on May 24, 2015 at his residence. He was born on December 19, 1952 in Midwest City, OK the son of Cecil Henry and Elizabeth (Woods) Allen.

Rich graduated from Lamar Missouri High School in 1970. Soon after he joined the Marines where he served three years and was honorably discharged in November of 1973 as a 0331 M-60 Machine Gunner. He served one tour in Vietnam as part of the Embassy Security Team, and then on to Rome, Italy where he met his future bride, Michelle Fleming. Rich and Michelle married in April 1974 and were married for 41 years.

Rich worked at GE in Springfield, MO for eighteen years, before obtaining his degree in Industrial Management from then Southwest Missouri State University and landed a job with Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ working on the EKV program. From there, he moved to Aerospace contracting beginning with the Boeing 787 program in Everett, Washington, and on to Vought Aircraft Industries in South Carolina, Sikorsky Helicopters in Alabama, back to the Boeing 787 program in Washington, and finally ending up at Bell Helicopter in Amarillo, TX (all of this over the past 10 years). Rich retired with his wife Michelle back home in the Ozarks in 2014.

He was preceded in death by his parents Cecil and Elizabeth Allen; and two brothers Cecil and Sidney Allen. He is survived by his wife Michelle Allen and one daughter Danielle of Theodosia, MO; his brothers David, Wade and Ben Allen; and one sister Cindy Fleming.

Graveside Funeral services with Full Military Honors will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 29, 2015 in the Missouri Veteran's Cemetery in Springfield, MO with David Allen officiating. Memorials may be made to : Vietnam Veterans of America, 8719 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Arrangements are by Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, MO.