John Allen

Loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle and friend to many during his 98 years, passed away peacefully on November 14th, 2023 with his family by his side.

John was born in Kobe, Japan. His parents were an interracial couple, which was extremely rare at the time, in the early 1900’s. His father was of Persian descent and his mother was British. Along with his sister, Mary, the family sailed on the S.S. Russia, from Japan to Vancouver in 1938 when John was 13 years old. After serving as a linguist during WWII, he was working towards an accounting degree but quickly realized that a desk job was not for him and looked for other opportunities. He married Lee and two sons followed (Greg and Robert). John realized that he needed to work with his hands and that his love of cars was to be in his future. He was very involved in the development of the Westwood Racing circuit in the early 1960’s and loved to race in gymkhanas in his beloved MG and Lotus.

He met the love of his life, Anice, in the 1960’s when she was a single mother with 4 young children. This did not deter John, they married in 1970 and he legally adopted Anice’s 4 children, becoming a father to 6. He was a business owner/mechanic for most of his career and several of his kids (and Anice) worked alongside him for years. After a move to the Okanagan and working/living in Penticton and Vernon, they purchased their first sailboat, a 21’ San Juan and sailed Okanagan Lake for years. After parting with most of their possessions they moved back to the mainland and purchased their beloved Skybird, a 30’ Alberg that would become their home for the next several years. Living off the water was idyllic to both of them and John and Anice met many interesting people during their voyages. They had so many memorable experiences, spending their summers sailing and the winters in their camper van in California and Arizona. They eventually moved back to the mainland but John’s love of sailing endured and he would go on trips alone on Skybird, or recruited crew from whoever he could. Many family members have their memories of this time and John kept a meticulous record of who his crew/guests were on his boat. It was a comfort to John to know that Skybird remained in the family, as Greg is now the proud owner and has lovingly maintained and sailed it for many years. John loved tracing and charting Greg’s journeys who was in contact with his Dad during his voyages.

Among many talents, John was an accomplished painter and sketch artist. Later in life he went to UBC and took several writing courses, wrote screen plays and articles, and had some of his work published. He also loved to tinker with electronics and was a self proclaimed computer geek. Many of us in the family always brought our desktop computer to him to fix.

As John and Anice thought about their future, it was decided to move in with their daughter Linda and husband Bob, into a suite in their house in Cloverdale. They had many happy years there with family gatherings. John and Anice were extremely grateful to Linda (and Bob) for their support during the time they lived together. When Linda passed away earlier this year, it was a terrible loss for them both and the entire family. A decision was made to move to Langley Gardens and unfortunately John didn’t have time to enjoy this new stage in his life due to his declining health. He was forever grateful to his loving wife, for all the care and devotion, especially in his final years.

John is predeceased by his sister, Mary and his daughter, Linda. He is survived by an extensive family. Wife Anice. Sons Greg, Robert, Patrick and Jamie. Daughter Aleta. Grandchildren Daysen, Tamara, Jenelle, Carly, Daniella, Jack and Kate. Great grandchildren Kholby, Braydon, Logan, Blake, Evan and Faith. Nieces Janet and Patti. Nephew Don.

We are all grateful to have known this remarkable man who lived such an amazing life. Every time we have a martini, we will toast John Allen, to the great man that he was and the incredible, full life he lived.

A family gathering will be planned in the near future.

“Sail on, sail on Sailor…”