Obituary of Jay Dean Allen
Jay Dean Allen of Portland, Oregon passed away November 29, 2021. He was fifty-five years old.
Jay grew up in SE Portland, but finished his high school years in Molalla. After school, he joined the US Army and spent his service in upstate New York. He returned to Portland to attend Portland State University, graduating with a BS in Chemistry and went on to obtain a MBA at the University of Oregon.
He formed his own telecommunications company, F2 Inc, which he headed successfully, for several years before deciding to rejoin the workforce as a corporate employee.
He continued to work in technology and telecommunications while at IBM, Integra Telecom, Schnitzer Steel, CDK Global, eventually moving to Nike, where he was most recently employed as Director of Global Telecommunications.
Jay and his wife, Judith loved to travel together, visiting and learning about other cultures. With fortuitous timing, they went on a final, amazing trip to Spain and Southern France in November of 2019, before the pandemic made such travel an impossibility.
The family spent many winter days and Spring breaks skiing at Mount Hood and other Northwest resorts. More recently and in spite of his illness, Jay had taken up boating, learning all about maintaining old sailboats, the mechanics of sailing and river navigation. He and his wife spent this last Summer exploring the Columbia River Gorge in a brand new way.
Jay came from early Oregon pioneering stock and he loved both Portland and Oregon. He was always a gracious host when family and friends came visiting, planning all sorts of outings, big and small, that he thought they might especially like and to show off his beloved home stomping grounds. He generously shared his time and knowledge. He loved to share stories of his youthful misadventures, his time in the army, his many travels and numerous other adventures.
Jay’s life was a success in so many ways. He was bright, creative, charismatic, and generous.
It seemed he could succeed in just about anything he set his mind to. He will be missed by so many of the lives he touched in his too short time on Earth.
He is survived by his wife, Judith Lebzelter, their two sons, Basil and Sebastian Allen of Portland, his son Logan Gnerlich of McKinney, Texas, and his mother, Sharon Allen of Molalla.
A memorial event will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Oregon Historical Society or the Cancer Research Institute. (https://www.cancerresearch.org)
When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. – Chief Tecumseh
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