Grant Edwards Allen, Jr., engineer, inventor, photographer and the handiest man in the world passed away at 91 on Thursday, April 12, 2018.
He was born in Atlanta, Ga. and grew up on a dairy farm in south Atlanta during the Depression. He served in World War II in the U.S. Merchant Marines, then returned home to attend and work at Georgia Tech on many projects, solving problems. He worked for Scientific Atlanta and helped invent one of the first cable boxes. A self-described scrounger, he could fix any broken part, wheel, electronic device or unit. In retirement, he was seen with a camera, filming and editing videos for weddings and church events. He is survived by his wife Dee Allen, daughter Liesl Merkel, son-in-law Jeff Merkel and two grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his father Grant Allen, Sr., mother Evelyn Allen and daughter Lynn Allen. Visitation will be at Sandy Springs Chapel on Sunday April 15 from 2-4 p.m. and service will be at Dunwoody Baptist Church Chapel April 16 at 2 p.m.