Halfway, Baker County, Oregon
Allen LeRoy Barrett, 70, died March 24, 2006, at his home in Halfway.
A celebration of his life has been tentatively set for June 17. The time and place will be announced. Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
He was born on Feb. 13, l936, at Sheridan, Wyo., to Edorothy “Edie” and Allan Barrett. He grew up at Kellogg and Smelterville, Idaho. Allen attended school to the 11th grade and then went to work at the Kellogg mine.
In 1954, Allen joined the U.S. Navy. He met Shirley Schultz in Seattle, Wash., while he was stationed at Bremerton, Wash. They met on Sept. 25, 1958, and were married just 15 days later on Oct. 10, 1958.
They lived at Seattle one year and then transferred to Long Beach, Calif. He spent some time overseas, transferring last to San Diego. They remained there until May 1964 when he was honorably discharged.
Allen and Shirley then moved to Santa Rosa, Calif., where he worked at Guerneville mine until 1970. In 1971 they came to Halfway to visit with longtime friends John and Shirley Keating. Halfway reminded Allen of the small towns he grew up in, and he thought it would be a great place to raise his children.
On July 20, 1972, the couple and their three children moved to Halfway. During his time in Halfway, he worked for the Pine-Eagle School District as the outside maintenance groundskeeper until he was hurt on the job in 1991.
He enjoyed working with wood, fishing and riding his four-wheeler in the mountains. He also enjoyed playing pinochle and visiting with friends. Allen also enjoyed his grandsons, who, though they sometimes thought he was grouchy and strict, enjoyed his good sense of humor.
Survivors include his wife, Shirley; three children, Laura Perdue of Redfield, S.D., Rebecca and Ken Colton of Anchorage, Alaska, and Edward and Kimberly Barrett of Sacramento, Calif.; five grandsons, Jamey and Jeremy Ward, Mikeal Barrett, and Travis and Derek Colton; brother and sister-in-law, Les and Lorna Barrett of Augusta, Ga.
He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 7, 2006
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor