John Allen - Obituary

r. John Loyd Allen, 82 of Annapolis, MD suffered an intracerebral hemorrhage and passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and family on August 5, 2013 at Anne Arundel Medical Center. John was an energetic, active and engaged man who lived life to the fullest until the very end. John excelled at everything he did. He was an avid sailor and boater, who enthusiastically encouraged his children and grandchildren to take the helm. He was most at home on the Chesapeake Bay and the Florida Keys. He and Linda made several trips to Florida via the Intracoastal Waterway and north to Canada on their Grand Banks trawler “Sunrise” and in later years spent winters in Marathon, FL. He and Linda had just returned from a cruise to the southern bay with their friends from the Chesapeake Bay Grand Banks Owners Association and a family reunion in the Shenandoah Valley. Dr. Allen was a prominent figure in the military radar systems during his more than forty years of professional life. Born and raised in Estherville, IA, John served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. Educated under the GI bill, he was an honors graduate of the Engineering Science Program at Penn State. He earned his masters and doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and was a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honorary society. Dr. Allen was a recognized national authority on modern radar systems and was a major contributor to the formulation of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. Prior to becoming a consultant to the government and many aerospace companies in 1981, he served as Deputy Director of Defense Research and Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, President of General Research Corporation (GRC International), Associate Director of Research of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and in several leadership positions in the Radar Measurements Division of M.I.T.’s Lincoln Laboratory. He was a past member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and a consultant to numerous activities of the Defense Science Board. Dr. Allen was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force. John married the former Dorothy Hooper (deceased) of Mobile, AL in 1952. In 1991 he married the former Linda Ripley Gross of Midland, MI and they made their home in Annapolis, MD. John is survived by his loving wife Linda Allen and his four children with Dorothy: Jacqueline LaPiana (Joseph) of Toms Brook, VA and Pompano Beach, FL; Linda Anne Allen (Ron Bass) of Arlington, VA; David Allen (Lisa) of Montpelier, VA; Stephen Bruce Allen (Stephanie) of Virginia Beach, VA; and his stepdaughter Kristin Gross (John Nicewick) of Chicago, IL. He leaves behind twelve grandchildren: Marisa and Alex LaPiana, Allison Reece (Bryan), Kathleen Jacoby (Steve), Deborah Ehlers (John), Julia Schoelwer, Kali and Courtney McMurray, Charlotte and Austin Allen, Henry and Gunnar Nicewick, and four great grandchildren. On Sunday August 11, 2013 the family will greet friends from 3 to 4pm with a Celebration of his Life Memory Service beginning at 4pm at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD 21037. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the Chesapeake, 90 Ritchie Hwy., Pasadena, MD 21122.