Guy Leland Allee, or Bud as you all knew him was born on
December 2, 1929 in rural Sheridan
area to Edmond Guy and Weltha Marie Carr Allee. He joined sisters Maryon and
Joanne and later by Beverly,
Doy and Martha. He attended rural schools until high school then graduated from
Sheridan High School in 1947. After graduation
Bud worked in construction in Wyoming
then returned home to raise turkeys with his father. In 1951 he joined the Army
and served until 1953 with one year of service in Japan. Upon his return he again
raised turkeys and farmed. In 1954 he was united in marriage to Willa
Pennington and thus began their 58 years together as partners in life. He also
was a rural mail carrier and postmaster of the Sheridan post office but always remained a
farmer.
Those are the
statistics…. Now let me tell you about the man I knew.
From the stories
I gleaned through the years, Dad was born ornery and stayed ornery….stories of
his pranks are legendary! His sisters all would attest to the fact that the
sole purpose of having pigtails was for him to pull and yank on! He would also
take them to town on Saturday night so they could have a big night out…only
problem was that he would also have a big night out and on several occasions,
leave them stranded on a bench in front of a store waiting on him to pick them
up…and wait they did…for hours! There were many stories of antics he and the
Batt boys pulled off…one of which landed him in the hospital in Colorado after he and
“Lily” crashed their motorcycles. Growing up, many stories would leak out of
things dad did in his youth, and I can remember thinking, that can’t be my
dad….those things sounded like fun and like something I would do and get
grounded for! It was quite a turning point when I realized my dad wasn’t just
the dad I knew but he was also a kid that knew how to have fun for I was quite
sure there was no fun in him because he always seemed to want to squash any
ideas I had for fun!! And besides, he always walked 10 miles to school, uphill
both ways and worked from sunup to sunset everyday…there was never any time for
fun…but I finally found out different and gained a new prospective on the man I
knew as dad.
My dad was my
hero. I would always tell him that no matter what, I was his favorite
daughter…he simply had no choice in the matter! I loved spending time with
him….we were fishing buddies, mushroom hunters, his mechanical assistant and
his sidekick anytime I could go with him to do chores. My dad could fix
anything and do anything. He was mostly a self taught carpenter, electrician,
and was a master improviser. If he needed something he just simply built it. My
dad was the most self reliant man I knew and probably will know. Sterling and I would be
rich today if I had a nickel for everytime I told him, “well my dad can fix
it!” For better or worse, depending on who you ask, I most assuredly am my
father’s daughter.
Dad was a lover
of knowledge. As a kid I would look at all the books my dad had purchased and I
thought he could ready them all.. But he did…and many many more. His memory was
impeccable and he could recall nearly every word he read. He belonged to the
Masonic Lodge and held many offices that required tons of memorization for the
lectures he would give and he was widely known as the man who knew his stuff!
When I was a teen still at home, he decided he wanted to become an amateur
radio operator. He learned Morse code and built his own radio from a kit. Later
while in his mid 60’s he decided he wanted to fly an airplane. He took lessons,
got his license and bought a plane. This was a hobby that he and my brother
Steve enjoyed together.
The family farm
was very precious to dad and remained so to the end. He and mom build their
lives around the farm and were partners in every sense of the word. They worked
side by side in the fields and raised livestock for most of their married
lives. We three kids also worked with them as a family and lived a great life
on the farm.
Dad loved his
family very much. He still remained a kid at heart as he played pranks on we 3
kids and mom too. There was the time he threw a firecracker up my stairwell to
get me out of bed…goofy songs he made up and would sing, most famously his
“good old fashioned swine work” song….chasing cows was always an adventure with
dad, we always considered ourselves fortunate
to have survived each chase. One of his most famous pranks was on Christmas one
year. We had to save the best gift until last which according to him was the
one he got mom. She had to stand with her eyes closed until he brought it out.
And there, wrapped with a big red ribbon was a throne…the porcelain kind!!!!
That to me ranks the most original Christmas gift ever!! He suggested we take a
little patch of land by the farm and turn it into a small camping area which is
known as “Papa Park.” The best part of summer was going
to Papa Park for gatherings. Some of the best
times as a family were spent there. He had nicknames for everyone and I do mean
everyone! I know his nieces and nephews would agree…isn’t that right Singbong,
Kinky Katrina, Kyle Rote and little Timmy? And for those of you who are old
enough to remember the tv show “Dallas….”
There was a cliffhanger episode that posed the famous question, ‘who shot JR?”
The answer to that question wasn’t Kristen Sheperd….it was my dad! Really!! He
and his cousin JR Peyton went hunting in their younger days and on one occasion
there was an “oops” and JR ended up being shot in the knee. So even before the
famous question was asked, we already had the answer!!
Dad was very
interested in the community. He was a member of the American Legion, Masonic
Lodge and Order of Eastern Star, Sheridan Christian Church, a founding member of the Community
Betterment Club and Rural Housing Board and was instrumental in building the
Sheridan Villa Apts. After moving to Sheridan
he became mayor for several years and made many improvements to the town. He
became very involved with geneology and has left behind a treasure of
information for his family and others who are searching for their roots.
Dad remained in
good health for several years despite how he neglected his health. He remained
a farmer at heart by raising a small garden in town and still enjoyed fishing.
His family remained his biggest source of joy and comfort. This past June dads
health declined to the point that he needed extra care and entered a nursing
home in the Maryville,
area. He was well cared for and loved by the staff at Nodaway Nursing Home and
by staff of SSM Hospice.
Dad passed away
on November 21 with his son Christopher by his side. He leaves behind his wife,
Willa sons Stephen and his children, Elise, Alex and Bailey, daughter Chandra
and husband Sterling
and their children Caleb and his wife Cassandra and son Corbin, and daughter
Chelsey, son Christopher and wife Tamara and daughter Gracie, Christopher and his wife LaRue and their
children, Nickolas and Lindsey. He is also survived by sister Beverly Mayes and
brother Doy.
The family would
like to express their love and thanks to the Nodaway Nursing Home and to SSM
Hospice for their loving care….with special thanks to Kelly Colwell of Hopice.
Thanks to the Christian Church for all they have done.
Funeral Services were 10:30 A.M. Monday,
November 26, 2012 at the Sheridan Christian Church in Sheridan. Chaplain Joshua Allee officiated.
Military rites were by V.F. W. Post #3123. The body will be cremated after services.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Prugh-Dunfee Funeral Home in Grant City.
--Written by Chandra (Allee) Hopkins
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