February 2008 – Jim Allen

FEATURED RESIDENT
FEBRUARY 2008

Jim Allen lives, with his wife Helen, in a charming little home tucked behind some pine trees right on Rutabaga Road, the main thoroughfare going through our little township.

Jim was born 72 years ago in St. Paul where he attended St. John’s Catholic elementary school, then high school at Harding High. His main memory of high school, he says, was “sneaking off to go hunting and fishing” whenever he could get away with it.

He worked on machinery at IBM for a couple of years- right at the beginning of the computer era. From there, he went to work for Blue Cross as a claims manager for 10 years, then as a salesperson. Preferring claims work to selling, he moved to another insurance agency and resumed his work in claims management.

Jim and the former Helen Rossbach were married in 1956. After buying their land and small home in Cloverton, Jim spent a considerable amount of time adding on to it. They moved up here permanently in 1977 and Jim accepted a job at the St. Croix Camp in 1982. He fully retired in 1997.

Since his entire purpose in moving to our serene rural area was to gratify his lifelong love of the outdoors, Jim spends a lot of time walking the roads and forests. For several years, he and Pete Fornengo, whom Jim describes as the best friend he ever had, enjoyed annual trips to Montana where they hunted prairie dogs, antelope and elk. The fishing that Jim so enjoys is done on Big Lake in Wisconsin, where his brother had a cabin for many years.

Jim and Helen have 2 grown sons. Jeff is a registered nurse living in Stillwater and working in St. Paul, while Mark lives in Blaine and works for United Rental. The Allens have 4 grandchildren.

Jim is a former member of the New Dosey Town Board and currently serves on the Planning Commission.

His wit, intelligence, and all-around goodness make Jim Allen a treasured member of our community.

Jim Allen passed away May 17, 2009