Allen Wiltshire was my Uncle, and as a kid we called him "Uncle Al the kiddes pal", because he was. I can remember being so excited when I heard Aunt Lorraine and Uncle Al were coming over. 
Uncle Allen bought a boat that he docked behind my parents house. He was so proud, and I was so honored because he had named the boat the Lori Lisa, after my sister and I. It was not long before the boat got caught under the dock and sank. That was the end of his boat days.
As an adult I watched my Uncle Allen care for my Aunt Lorraine, who had Alzheimer's, I can only hope that someone give me half the care he was able to provide for her.
As my family knew that we would only have so much more time with my Uncle, my sister In law suggested that we begin having weekly dinners with my mother Beverly and Uncle Allen. I am so thankful for that time with my Uncle. They are memories I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I will miss him dearly, but I know he is with the lord and his "Sweet Lorraine" , and that is where he knew he was headed, always with a SMILE.

Don Galloway put into words what many of us experienced with Al and his "Sweet Lorraine". He was a special part of my life and my parents as well. Enjoy heaven!

Al and Lorraine were so gracious and loving to us during our time on staff at Faith Chapel in Boca Raton.  They adopted us as their kids because we were so far away from our own families.  When our first son, Donovan, was born, we asked Al and Lorraine to be the godparents and they graciously accepted.  Lorraine embroidered an animal wall hanging for Donovan that he still treasures.  Our second son, Brady, is named for Lorraine because that was her maiden name.  Al and Lorraine took Don to Israel with them in December 1982.  It was a memorable trip for all of them.  After we moved from Florida in 1984, they took one of their vacation weeks to come to see us after we moved to St. Louis.  We have such wonderful memories of our adopted Florida parents and can't wait to see them again someday.  Heaven is sweeter!

I think my son just said it all. 

Yes, Al and Lorraine meant a lot to us.  We had many great times up here in the mountains of NC including one night coming over for dinner and getting snowed in for 6 days.  We had a great time - lots of fun....and were forever glad it happened. We talked about it for years.

Al gave George his truck when they moved back to Florida.  What a great gift.  We used it every day and when George passed away, I gave it to Cherokee Cove (which is a Christian family camp) and the truck is still going strong.  Because of Al, his "truck" is still serving the Lord.  

I would always visit with Al on my yearly visits to Florida and will surely miss him and his cheerful smile.  He, Lorraine, George and a few of our other close friends will truly have a joyous Christmas this year.  We will miss them, but know that one day we will be together again forever.

I knew him as Uncle Al and my kids knew him as Papa Al even though we weren't family.  I first came to know Al and Lorraine as a young boy when we attended church together in Boca Raton.  Throughout my teenage years, Al and Lorraine were my Sunday school teachers.  I will never forget all the trips they took us on to their home in Bradenton at the Christian Retreat.  They had such great love for the Lord and they loved sharing it with others.  Our families would later form a tighter bond when they built their second home in the mountains of North Carolina near my parents home.  As a single man some of my trips to the mountains included loading up Al and Lorraine (and my parents) in their van and driving around the mountains to see whatever we could see.  One evening we even set out on an adventure to drive into 3 different states.  That was one adventure we liked to reminisce about. A trip to the mountains always involved me doing certain projects for my dad at his house and Al was always sure to stop by and check things out to see how the job was going.  Many of my trips included going to Al's to help him with projects that were too much for him to tackle alone.  My parents lost their best friends when Al and Lorraine sold their house in North Carolina and moved back to Florida for good.  Non the less, they remained close with frequent calls to each other.  Al and Lorraine were the finest example of Gods Grace and His love and they helped many people with life's struggles along the way.  When Al lost his "Sweet Lorraine" no doubt he lost a part of himself.  It's hard for to talk about Al alone because he and Lorraine were such a great team.  It's hard to talk about one and not the other.  Next to my parents Al and Lorraine were one of the greatest influences in my life and for that I will be forever grateful.  I love you both and miss you very much and we will meet again in Heaven.

OBITUARY

Allen J. Wiltshire

November 3, 1924 – December 19, 2014

Kraeer Funeral Home and Cremation Center

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services