Robert Wayman Allen

Bob Allen died peacefully on April 14, 2025, leaving a permanent hole in the hearts of his wife, children, grandchildren and many friends. Robert Wayman Allen was born September 16, 1947 to Josephine and Roy Allen of Los Gatos, California. He was the youngest of four, always looking up to brothers John and Don and sister Diane. Growing up on Pennsylvania Avenue he spent endless hours playing outdoors with neighborhood kids until the Dads would stand out on the front porches and whistle for their kids to come in for dinner. Bob attended Los Gatos High School, excelling at the social aspects of school and scraping by academically, graduating beside his classmates in 1965. He had a stint at BYU and eventually got his bachelor's degree from San Jose State University. Bob married Jeannette Gonzales in 1968, and they had two children, Jeffrey and April. He served in the Marine Corps reserves for 2 years from 1969 to 1970.

Bob was a titan of the town, spending his entire childhood and almost all of his adult life in Los Gatos, leaving an indelible imprint on the community. He and Gary Kankel opened a hardware store, Coast to Coast, in the Kings Court shopping center in the early 1980s, later becoming Ace Hardware when they relocated and expanded the business to the Lark Avenue / Los Gatos Boulevard location. Bob provided many Los Gatos teenagers with their first jobs as salesmen and cashiers at Ace Hardware, likely keeping many out of trouble through gainful employment. He was a mentor and father figure to a number of them, some of whom he continued to check in on throughout his life. Apart from the hardware store, Bob also spent time as a banker, an electrician and running a small glove distributorship business to keep himself and his friends occupied in "retirement."

Bob gave back to his hometown in many ways. He served on the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District board of trustees, strategically timing his service to give out high school diplomas to his daughter and many other seniors he knew and loved of the Class of 1991. He started a golf tournament in 1989-The Wildcat Invitational-that ran for over 20 years and raised thousands of dollars for the Los Gatos High School athletic programs. Bob was devoted to his children and spent many hours coaching his son Jeff's and daughter April's teams, from time to time ditching practice to take the team for ice cream at Thrifty's.

Bob loved sports as a player and spectator. He participated in a slow pitch soft ball league where his knuckleball toss was deceivingly difficult to hit. He was a huge SF Giants fan, following them as a season ticket holder for many years from Candlestick to the downtown ballpark. When asked about the best trip he'd ever taken, he recounted the epic baseball trips he took with Jeff and his friends to see Comisky Park, Wrigley Field, Veterans Stadium in Philly, Yankee and Shea stadiums in New York and the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Bob expanded his love of sports to include golf, which he played until shortly before his death.

A difficult and defining time in Bob's life was when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in his early 50s. He battled through three recurrences of the disease ultimately undergoing a bone marrow transplant in 2004.

As a frequent customer of the hardware store, Ann Morrissey became friends with Bob in the early 1980's. Decades later their relationship deepened and they married in 2008. Ann brought immeasurable love, joy and companionship to Bob until his passing. Ann's children generously welcomed Bob into their families, and he was lucky to be called Grandpa by 10 grandchildren. Bob and Ann moved to Austin, Texas in 2019 creating wonderful friendships with neighbors and through Balcones Country Club. Bob and Ann loved sitting on the front porch in the evenings chatting and watching the rain during Austin's "gulley washers."

Bob was known for bestowing nicknames (often intentionally embarrassing ones) on anyone who earned it and he himself was known as Cuddles, the origins of which have not been confirmed. He was known for his sense of humor, generosity, warmth and friendliness. Bob's love for his family knew no bounds and, when asked recently what simple pleasures he enjoys, he wrote, "I think family is the purest form of a simple pleasure as I interact with each member of my family and am able to feel the warmth and love…and, of course, the real basic pleasure of all is ice cream in any form or fashion."

Bob is survived by his wife, Ann, his son, Jeff, daughter-in-law, Kristin, his daughter, April, and son-in-law Tim Watson, his stepchildren Amy and husband Brian Ramsay, Liz and husband Pat McBrearty, Tom Morrissey and wife Colleen, his grandchildren Tanner and Josie Allen, Shea Watson, Mike and Liz Ramsay, Sophie, Jack and Connor McBrearty, and Henry and Noah Morrissey. He is also survived by his sister Diane Beckstrand and his brother Don, and predeceased by his brother John.

Published in Los Gatan · April 28, 2025