Allen was predeceased by his first wife, Pamela Adrian (nee McLeod) and his Babi and Dědě (grandparents), Bessie and Karel Reichert. He is survived by his second wife, Melissa Adrian; his son Zachary Adrian and his wife Heather; his daughter Megan Adrian; his stepsons, Vaughn and David Pawlak; his parents, Florence and George Adrian; his sister Sharon Goertzen and her husband Irv; his nephew Nathaniel Allen Goertzen; his nephew Samuel Goertzen Adrian and his wife Bariah; and his niece Julia Goertzen.
Allen was born in Saint Boniface, Manitoba, and lived in Winnipeg for the first few years of his life. He moved to Killarney for his elementary school years and Swan River Valley for his junior and senior high years. Allen then moved back to Winnipeg to attend the University of Manitoba to receive an honours degree in Geophysics. Employment opportunities in the oil and gas field led him to Calgary, Alberta where he primarily worked for Shell Canada as a geoscientist.
In Calgary he met his first wife, Pam, at the college and career group at the Foothills Alliance Church. They were married on January 2, 1993, and had two children, Zac in 1996, and Megan in 2003, after Allen had successfully received a double lung transplant in 2001. In 2007, the family set out on a four-year expat assignment in The Netherlands, which was cut short after nine months when Pam was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Pam miraculously lived two years longer, but sadly passed away on May 8, 2010. While working and caring for two children as a single dad, he began to date Melissa. After two more years, they were married on July 7, 2013, blending two families of three into a family of six.
After Allen was retired from Shell, he continued to work in the geophysics field by founding his own company and completing a contract for the Northwest Territories government. He went back to school at Ambrose University to acquire a master’s degree in Leadership and Ministry that led to a significant career change. He worked part time with Engineering Ministries International as the Intern Coordinator for Canada, and part time as the Director of Global Impact at the Foothills Alliance Church.
Allen was adventurous and especially enjoyed travelling and exploring the great outdoors. His favourite time was spent with family at the land in Cypress Hills, hunting, bird watching, and building the bunk house. Even as his health deteriorated, he persevered with his passions for work, school, hobbies, and family with a smile on his face and thankfulness in his heart to God for each day. Allen was a remarkable man who inspired us all to live life to the fullest with purpose, integrity, and enthusiasm.
The family would like to thank the Cystic Fibrosis medical team for their exceptional care of Allen over the years.
A Funeral Service to celebrate the extraordinary life of Allen will be held on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 10:30 am at the Foothills Alliance Church, 333 Edgepark Boulevard NW, Calgary, Alberta where he served and worshiped our Lord. The interment will be later at the Queens Park Cemetery, 3219 4 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta at 3:00 pm.
The funeral will be lived streamed from the Foothills Alliance Church: https://livestream.com/accounts/4034818/events/10360987
Donations can be made to the Summit Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis of Calgary at https://sfcf.ca.
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