Jerry Dale Allen

Jerry Dale Allen, 74 of Indianapolis, passed away on May 14, 2022.  He was born on June 8, 1947 in Linton, Indiana, to the late Gilbert and Marjorie (Howell) Allen.  Jerry attended Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Jerry enlisted in the Navy, trained at Naval Station Great Lakes in Chicago, and was deployed on the Aircraft Carrier USS Ranger as a Machinery Repairman. The carrier group saw active service in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War and he visited ports of call including Subic Bay, Philippines, and Hong Kong.  As the war was winding down, Jerry was released from service after a little over two years and earned five medals and ribbons during his service. 

Upon his return from service, he married his wife of 52 years, Sharon Y. (Turner) Allen. 

Prior to him enlisting in the Navy, Jerry held several apprentice jobs to learn the trade of tool and mold making.  Upon returning from the Navy, he worked for RCA as a Materials Inspector and as a Maintenance Supervisor for Horsley Enterprises.  He later returned to mold making and worked at Rostone and K&K Engineering.  As much of the mold making trade had shifted offshore, he returned to tool making at Autoliv where he was an Assembly Line Repair Technician.  When Autoliv moved operations to Kentucky, Jerry finished his career at Flowtech Industries, where he was a Quality Assurance Manager for an ISO-certified medical-grade oxygen regulator manufacturer. 

Jerry was very mechanically minded. He loved to know how things worked and could always be found in his garage tinkering with various little projects, or working on his cars, trucks, RV, or lawn tractor.  During his time at K&K, his boss was a private pilot and gifted Jerry his first 10 hours of flight instruction towards a Private Pilot Certificate.  He earned his pilot’s license and purchased a partial ownership of two aircraft, a Cessna 150 and a Piper Cherokee 180 where he took his boys flying around the state.  He was a member of the Cloud Niners Flying Club, Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association, and the Experimental Aircraft Association. 

Upon retiring from Flowtech in 2015, Jerry and Sharon bought an RV, fixed it up, and travelled the United States in a several-month trip that took them to many states and national parks.  They also wintered in Florida several times and visited the northeast, including Niagara Falls.

Even though Jerry was not actively attending a church at the time of his passing, Jerry was a baptized Christian and believed in God and in a higher purpose after our time here on Earth.

Survivors include his wife, Sharon Allen of Indianapolis; sons, Nathan L. Allen (Mandie) of Plainfield, Justin W. Allen (Tegan) of Lizton; brother, Robert Allen (Naomi) of West Lafayette; and grandchildren, Ethan, Christian, Cody, Hannah, and Kaiden.  His parents and siblings, Gilbert “Buddy” Allen, Elizabeth Lee, William Allen and infant Leonard Allen, preceded him in death.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 1 p.m. in Hall-Baker Funeral Home, Plainfield.  Burial with military rights will follow in Maple Hill Cemetery, Plainfield.  Visitation will be on Saturday from 11 a.m. until funeral services in the funeral home. 

Please make memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society 5635 West 96th Street Suite 100 Indianapolis, Indiana 46278 or to the donor's favorite charity. 

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