Henry Dean Allen
Henry Dean Allen, age 84, of Countryside, passed away peacefully on December 11, 2021. Henry (‘Dean’) was born in Chicago in 1937 to Harry and Inez Allen. He was the cherished husband of the late Grace Allen (nee Lehe) for 54 years; loving father of Jonathan (Cheryl) Allen, Mary Beth (Peter) Leavitt, Tim Allen, and Sue (Matt) Nowlan; proud grandfather of Peterson Allen, Benjamin Allen, Miranda Allen, Gabriella Allen, Peirce Leavitt, Ethan Leavitt, Ross Leavitt, Matthew (Kaity) Allen, Stephanie Allen, Jakub (Millie) Lennon, Lukas Allen, Dylan Nowlan, and Riley Nowlan; and proud great-grandfather of Zade Allen and Bowen Allen; he was the dear brother of Sally Allen; fond friend of many.Dean was an elevator mechanic in Chicago and the suburbs, and spent many years building and maintaining elevators in the Chicago housing projects.
As a young adult, Dean left a life of crime and became a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. He attended Ozark Bible College where he obtained a degree in Biblical Studies. Dean cherished the Bible which he studied daily, and loved to share his faith in Jesus with others. He was active in the Southside Fisherman (Christian outreach group), and regularly preached to inmates in Chicago jails, and to the homeless at Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago.
Dean served as Elder at Cicero Bible Church and at La Grange Bible Church, where he remained active until his death. Despite being confined to a wheelchair for the final years of his life, Dean’s faith remained strong, and he continued to point others to his Savior Jesus. His example of faith will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him.
A visitation will be held from 12:30pm until the time of the memorial service at 2pm on Saturday, January 15th, 2022 at La Grange Bible Church, 850 7th Avenue, La Grange, IL 60525. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be sent to La Grange Bible Church.
Mr. Allen was beyond amazing in countless ways. As a high schooler I always felt welcome in his home and as an adult he always made me feel like a friend – and I am just one of an endless list of people who could say the same. Thank you, Mr. Allen for your unwavering example of what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. God Bless you and your family.
Love to all the family.
Mr Allen was used by God to bless so many many people. I’m thankful I was one.
God bless y keep you all.
We are so sad to hear of Dean’s passing, although we know that his heart longed to be with Jesus. We talked regularly on the phone and he was always an incredible inspiration to our faith and lives. We will miss him. Tim and Karol Svoboda
I’ll see ya later brother, love you.
What do we say abut a man who loved God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength? That he was a man after God’s heart, and all about Jesus with no focus on himself. While he’s not physically here, Dean is a constant example to us of what it looks like to live for Christ and his passion for the Word and his Lord spur us on to do the same.
Dean is one of the few who exemplified being so close to Jesus that he could hear His heartbeat.
Our prayers for you dear family as you grieve. How precious to have the hope of Jesus!
Love, Jim & Connie