Patricia Allen

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Funeral service for Patricia Allen will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. at Lentz Funeral Home in Mallard. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at Lentz Funeral Home in Mallard. Burial will take place at the West Bend Cemetery in West Bend.
Patricia “Pat” Allen, age 88 of Grundy Center formerly Curlew, passed away Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 at Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo.
Patricia Ann Wilderman Allen was born to Robert Elmer Wilderman and Mary Marguerite Snook in Highland Park, Michigan on July 10, 1934, where her father was employed by Ford Motor Co., and her mother worked in a dress shop. Patricia’s parents had moved to Michigan from Iowa, where they were both raised in the Rodman and Rolfe areas. When “Patsy” was fourteen, the family moved “home” to Royal, Iowa where her father farmed. After Pat graduated from Royal High School, the family moved to West Bend, where Pat’s younger brother “Dickie” graduated high school. Pat then attended a business college in Fort Dodge, traveling to and fro on a bus that stopped at McKnight’s Point. That summer before college Pat met handsome Larry Allen, and after college, they married, setting up housekeeping in West Bend, initially in a small trailer parked in her mother and father’s yard. Daughter Robin was born, and they then purchased a house where daughters Roxane and Roni were born.
In 1960, Larry’s sister and brother-in-law helped Larry and Pat start farming, and they moved to a farm on the edge of Curlew where the twins, Robert and Rebecca were born. Pat became bookkeeper at the local grain elevator where she worked for thirty years, some of them as branch manager. Pat loved living on the farm, and stepped outside each morning to breathe in the fresh air. She was a voracious reader and loved having coffee with old and new friends. She enjoyed family camping trips and motorcycle trips with Larry and friends. Sundays were like mini-reunions with her children and their families returning for dinners and volleyball and card games. Christmases were especially magical, lasting a week, first in West Bend and later in Curlew. Air mattresses and floor beds were in abundance. On Christmas Eve, Santa would stomp around the roof, shouting HO!HO!HO! down the fireplace chimney, delighting the children.
The family attended the United Methodist Church in Curlew, where Pat taught Sunday School and Summer Bible School.
When Pat’s children were adults she shared with them the world she had created in her head, involving an entire town and cast of characters, along with a fascinating plot. There were written maps and drawn interiors and floor plans of all the houses and buildings in the town. Her children exclaimed, “Mother, write it down! It’s a novel!” But, she wouldn’t. She was a dreamer.
Patricia died Jan. 13, 2023 from a deteriorating heart condition at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo, after living the last two years with her children Rebecca and Gary Einck. She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry, her parents, Mary and Bob Wilderman and her mother and father-in-law, Ida and A.C. Allen, many beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters and brothers-in-law.
She is survived by her children, Robin Allen (Steve Peterson) of Ayrshire, Roxane Thielen (Kim Lewis) of Waterloo, Roni (Jim) Rouse of Monroe, Iowa, Robert (Erika) Allen of Dike, and Rebecca (Gary) Einck of Grundy Center. Also left to cherish her memory are her grandchildren, Thor (Sarah) Peterson, Meredith Allen (Tim Leith), Justin (Kaitlin) Joynt, Jocilyn Joynt, Jillian (Dustin) Schutte, Donny Lewis (Heather Clark), Dan (Stefani) Lewis, Olaf (Julie) Rouse, Amber Rouse, Mia Rouse, Carter Allen (Loren Clark), Riley and Mo Allen, Raine (Jake) Kramer and scads of beloved great grandchildren. Furthermore, she is survived by her brother, Richard (Judy) Wilderman of Des Moines.
Lentz Funeral Home of Mallard is assisting the family.


Condolences may be left at
www.lentzfuneralhome.com