Michael Woods Allison

Michael Woods Allison, 89, was born on January 3, 1935 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Mary Elisabeth Taylor and Allan Woods Flandro. He was later adopted by his step-father, Carl Albert Allison, Sr. Mike passed from this life on March 13, 2024 at the William R. Courtney Texas State Veteran’s Home in Temple, Texas. Mike received last rites from the Reverend Keith Pozzuto of Christ Episcopal Church in Temple, Texas.

Mike grew up in a military family. His mother served in the Army WAC and his stepfather’s Air Force service took him to several bases in the US. Mike attended Allen Military Academy and graduated from Bryan High School, both in Bryan, Texas. He attended the University of Utah and subsequently received his BS in Electrical Engineering in 1959 from Heald College in San Francisco, California. Mike joined the US Army in 1954. Mike served mostly with the Korean Military Advisory Group (KMAG) in Korea as a communications specialist. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Mike was honorably discharged at the Presidio of San Francisco, California. He then worked as a civilian teletype operator for 6th Army Headquarters at the Presidio of San Francisco. In 1961, he transferred to the Department of Defense Relay Station in Davis, California, working as a communications specialist. From 1966-1973, he worked at the Mount Aukum Relay Station in California, before being transferred to the General Services Administration (GSA) Communications Center in Austin, Texas. Mike continued in government service as a network engineer for GSA in Austin until his retirement in 1990.

Mike loved working on cars and almost always had a project in the garage. Once, he built a light blue Willy’s Opera Coupe on a Volkswagen frame. He always said he learned so much about working with fiberglass that he would never work with it again. There was a hardened bucket of fiberglass in the garage to remind him of the lessons he learned with the Opera Coupe. After visiting his daughter in England, Mike built a British racing green Lomax 223 three-wheeled car on a Citroen 2CV frame merged with a motorcycle rear. He had the whole kit and frame shipped from England and he said the Lomax was his favorite project. He could be seen racing around Bastrop in his little three-wheeled car.

Mike had met his future wife while they were both working for the US Army at the Presidio of San Francisco. She had posted an ad for someone to teach her to drive a car she had just purchased. They both owned MG-TD Roadsters so he took on the job of teaching her to drive the standard-shift car on the steep hills of San Francisco.

Mike was an amazingly creative writer. Over the years he developed many characters and shared their adventures with co-workers and family. We are left with many stories to be handed down to the next generation.

Mike was an active runner, usually participating in a 5K every weekend. He was a founding member of the Huffin Puffins Running Club, a group of “mature” runners based in Austin. Mike even ran the Austin Half-Marathon. Once. He decided to stick to shorter races after that. You could find him at just about every 5K in the state and some farther away.

Mike was an avid outdoorsman. Aside from running in all kinds of weather, he loved camping all over Texas, especially in the state parks. His favorite park was Big Bend National Park. Mike and his daughter spent many summers rafting down rivers. The one they returned to many times was the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

After retirement from the GSA, Mike relocated from Austin to Bastrop. He was very active in the community theater scene and was a dedicated volunteer at the Bastrop Opera House in Bastrop. He loved performing despite claiming to be nervous before heading on stage. One year, he was quite proud to have advanced to state small theater competition with a two-man play entitled “Duck Variations,” under the direction of Chester Eitze.

Mike had many friends in the Austin and Bastrop communities. He was friendly, and fun, and quite the character. He will be missed by so many.

Mike is survived by his daughter, Karen (Joseph) Nannola of Eddy, Texas; four grandchildren Michael Bass of Fallon, Illinois, Amber Davis-Finch of Denver, Colorado, Rebecca Davis of Waco, Texas, and Caleigh Davis of Lorena, Texas; eight great-grandchildren Genevieve, Constantine, and Maximillian Bass of Fallon, Illinois, Mystique and Sapphire Finch of Fairborn, Ohio, Savannah Hall of Killeen, Texas, Remington Williams of Denver, Colorado and Michael Johns of Lorena, Texas; his former wife Gladys Carter-Allison of Derry, New Hampshire; his sister Christine (Dennis) Minch of Springville, Utah; and his brother Carl (Katy) Allison Jr. of Richmond, Kentucky; four nieces and a nephew.

Mike is pre-deceased by his parents; his step-father; a son Eric Carl Allison; his sister Elisabeth Allison; and a great-granddaughter Carla Ray Williams.

The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at the William R. Courtney Texas State Veterans Home in Temple, Texas and the hospice nurses of Compassus Home Health.

Donations should be made to Christ Episcopal Church in Temple, Texas or the Bastrop Opera House in Bastrop, Texas.