Leo Charles Allen, dedicated father to Chad Allen, Jack Allen II, and Deana Owens, known for his genuine kindness, generous spirit, and contagious sense of humor, passed peacefully on November 28th, 2023.

The son of Jack and Dorothy Allen, he was birthed with a fishing pole in hand on the 7th day of April 1959 in Waterloo, Iowa. As a rambunctious young lad and baby of the family, he earned the moniker "Little Leo" by his five older siblings: Carolyn Derifield, John Allen, Gladys Diehl, Stan Allen and Mary Dvorak.

Leo's parenting style during the 80s and 90s was that of one who was still trying to figure out what kind of parent he wanted to become. One memorable outing through the McDonald's drive-thru came with the promise of cheeseburgers and orange drinks for his young family where he ordered, "five cheeseburgers, no cheese and five orange drinks," dashing cheesy dreams for everyone in the car with his patented smirk.

Another fun story was when he and the three kids were staying the evening at his childhood home in which the thermostat was always cranked beyond sweltering. He told the kids to get in the car with air conditioning blasted to run to Wal-Mart. He ran into the store, returning with a jumbo bag of ice in each hand hoisted above his head and shouted, "I got us some pillows!" He disposed of the bags, and they all returned to the hot box that was grandma and grandpa Allen's house.

Once he figured out his parenting style he committed to it until his last day – one of pure unadulterated kindness, ridiculous goofiness, and total understanding of his kids. He created memories for his children marked by laughter, fun and a sense of wonder. Said parenting style was easily carried over to his grandchildren, a group of humans which he loved unconditionally. Hell, let's be honest – he loved EVERY member of his family unconditionally.

No matter where Leo found himself, he made friends near and far with anyone and everyone. However, he had a core group of best friends – his siblings and their spouses. Whenever he would get together with any of them, they would all revert to their silly teenager selves.

Leo thought nothing went together as well as fishing, family and friends. If you were lucky enough to have casted into an ocean, river, lake or pond with him you know. He snagged as many species of fishes as ever could be imagined, filling thousands of freezers and frying pans. His love of angling was an inherent one grown from the Allen family tree and always shared with others.

Through his unwavering faith and relationship with Christ, his generosity knew no bounds. His heart was filled with kindness and acceptance of others, always willing to offer a helping hand and support to anyone. Nearly every weekend he would pay for a random family's dinner bill at the restaurant below his apartment in Grand Island, NE – never the same family twice, always keeping his identity a secret like Batman. He didn't want the recognition, just being able to see the family's joy was enough for him. Every year he would purchase all the toy requests on the Christmas wish tree in his office which supplied local kiddos with presents. He would sneak in after hours to organize the toys with care under the tree without telling anyone he was Santa Claus. We could continue to list even more of his philanthropic good deeds, but that would just make his head bigger and we all know how big it already is.

Leo's ridiculously dry sense of humor, playful nature and goofy demeanor were contagious. He had a knack for finding humor in even the most mundane situations, reminding everyone to "always look on the bright side of life."

In lieu of flowers, we request donations of both time and monetary means be made in memory of both his generous spirit and commitment to others to Bartels Home in Waverly, IA – the place his mother called home for 16 years.

A proper Catholic mass will be held at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Waterloo at 1:30 p.m. on December 16th, 2023. Visitation for one hour prior to mass.

He will be interred with his parents at the Garden of Memories in Waterloo, on what would have been his 65th birthday, April 7th, at 10:30 am. The ceremony will begin with a New Orleans second line band that will march everyone from the chapel parking lot to his resting place. White handkerchiefs will be given to all in attendance outside the chapel so everyone can wave them in the air as the brass band plays to and from the site.

For those of you still reading, you now have two homework assignments. The first is to do something kind for another human without them knowing your identity. The second is to watch one of Leo's favorite movies while enjoying Crown Royal Whisky on the rocks with just the slightest splash of water: Young Frankenstein, The Jerk, Blazing Saddles, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Across the Universe, Jeremiah Johnson, Tombstone or The Man From Snowy River. Fair warning, watching any of them will induce laughter, fond memories of Leo and a sense of peace in the world.