Donald Allen
Port St. Lucie, Fla. — Donald Hunt Allen, 92, passed away peacefully at his home in Port St. Lucie, Fla., April 13, 2021. Donald was born in New London on Oct. 21, 1928, to Carl Dennis Allen and Charlotte Hunt Allen. He spent his early years in New London, then moved with his family to the Poquonnock Bridge area of Groton in 1936. He graduated from Fitch Senior High in 1946. Growing up, one of his proudest achievements was becoming an Eagle scout and serving as a camp counselor at Boy Scout Camp Wakenah. He went on to become a Scoutmaster for Troop 14 in the Poquonnock Bridge area in 1963, where he served until 1967.
Donald graduated with an Associate Science Degree in Engineering from Mitchell College in New London in June 1948. He was a member of King’s Point Merchant Marine Academy Class of 1952 but resigned after a year to properly court his sweetheart, Dorothy Anne Rowley. They were married Sept. 16, 1950. He was drafted into the Army in January 1952, when they extended the draft to married men without children during the Korean War. He served in Fourth Infantry Regiment, Company D, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dorothy accompanied him there, where they gave birth to their first child, Linda.
Upon his return to civilian life, Donald worked at Pfizer as an associate scientist from 1954 to 1991. Although science was his profession, carpentry and cabinetmaking were his true passion, and he crafted many beautiful pieces and projects. Settling in Groton in 1961, Donald and Dorothy raised Linda and two more daughters, Donna and Sandra, on Blueberry Hill Road.
Before his retirement from Pfizer in 1991, Donald put his talents to work at Mystic Seaport. From 1988, he worked at the Seaport as a blacksmith and ship carver for just over a decade. He carved many beautiful pieces, and his cigar store sailor is still on display at the Seaport. He taught the ship carving craft to his daughter, Sandra, where they often worked side-by-side.
Donald was many things to many people, but his greatest roles were as a husband and father. Donald and Dorothy were married for over 70 years, and they traveled extensively throughout the United States together. Being a father was a role that came naturally to him. One of the highlights of their family life was the time they spent camping in their motor home. He went on to be a doting and devoted grandfather to seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, who survive him along with his wife and daughters.