Wayne Allen
1929 ~ 2020
Dr. Wayne Allen passed away on March 25, 2020 at the age of 90. He was always thankful for every one of those years. For 67 of those years, he was married to Shirley and for almost 60 years they lived in McCall. For 35 years, he was the physician to the people of McCall and the surrounding areas. He was also the loving father to Linda and Pat, father-in-law to Kim and an amazing grandfather to Lindsay and Cory.
Wayne was born September 27, 1929 to Bernice and Leon Allen in Fairfield, Kansas, the youngest of three children. Due to the Dust Bowl, his family soon moved to Colorado. Wayne grew up in Summit County and met Shirley early in their lives when they attended the same schools. He graduated from Breckenridge High School with a class of nine and went on to receive his undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado and then continued on there for his graduate degree in physical therapy.
Wayne and Shirley were married June 8, 1952 and honeymooned in Yellowstone in their 1947 Studebaker convertible. Soon after, Wayne joined the Air Force and was stationed at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento. While there, their daughter Linda was born. After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, and thanks to Dr. Clay Morgan of Boise, Wayne decided to pursue a career in medicine. He was accepted to the pre-med program back at the University of Colorado. He worked summers and during school to provide for his family and to pay tuition. Shirley's father would always stock their freezer with beef from his ranch to keep them well fed. In 1957, he was accepted to medical school at the University of South Dakota, where Pat was born, and then went on to finish medical school at the University of Colorado. While living in low income housing in Denver, he completed his internship and then went on to his residency in California.
Upon the completion of his residency, Wayne and Shirley began looking for a place for Wayne to establish his own practice and to begin their lives after school and service. While visiting with Dr. Morgan in Boise, they admired pictures of Clay's summer home in McCall. Wayne and Shirley started asking about practices in the small mountain town, similar to that in which they grew up. During a road trip to McCall they learned the town had an opening for a new doctor. Around the same time, Dr. Herold Nokes also joined the practice and together they established their long-running partnership.
As the Allen-Nokes partnership grew, Dr. Ed Droge and others joined them and they opened additional clinics in New Meadows, Council and Riggins. Wayne loved being a small-town doctor where he could be fully dedicated to his patients and serving his community. Through his work and service, he was respected by his peers and served as the president of the State Board of Medicine for many years.
Wayne and Shirley loved living in McCall and raising their family there. For almost 60 years, they always felt it a privilege to be part of life in McCall. They completed their dream home on Payette Lake in 1978 with no shortage of sweat and love. One of Wayne's favorite things was to sit in the sunshine on his deck and enjoy the view.
Wayne retired in 1995 and enjoyed a life full of grandkids, camping, skiing, his golden retrievers Abbie and Rosie and other puppies, his home and spending time with Shirley. He always loved RVing, fishing, hiking, football (especially the Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos), building fires, and cookouts.
He was preceded in death by his daughter Linda.
A gathering to celebrate Wayne's life will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Wayne's favorite charities: St. Luke's Hospital in McCall; the Little Ski Hill; and McPaws.