Bernard Joseph (B.J.) Allen

GORDON - Bernard Joseph (B.J.) Allen, 89, of Fountain Rd., passed away Sunday in Macon.

Services will be held Wednesday April 11, 2018 at 3PM in Asbury United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Rev. Mark Grinsted and Rev. Ralph Martin will officiate. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 Tuesday in the funeral home.

Bernard (B.J.) Allen was born in Wilkinson County, Georgia to John V. and Dollie Fountain Allen on April 14, 1928. He was one of eleven children. He was preceded in death by his wife, Zoe Clements Allen and infant daughter, Elga Elaine Allen. B.J. and Zoe are survived by their three children, Joseph L. Jabo (Reba) Allen, Rhonda O. (Tony) Allen, and David E. (Lisa) Allen. He was blessed with eight grandchildren, Joey Allen, Jason (Alisa) Allen, Ben Allen, Christy (Jeff) Rickman. Holly (Brad) Squires, Zoe (Chucky) Hodges, Kimberly (Jake) Hasty, and Beth (James) Richardson. Sixteen Great Grandchildren. Brothers, James Allen, Robert Roy (Barbara) Allen, Sister, Kathryn (Travis) Stroud.

In his young adult life BJ worked as a Master Mechanic for R.A. McCord Ford Motor Company in Macon, GA, Dean Allgood Ford Motor Company in Gordon, Georgia, and International Harvester Company in Macon, Georgia. In his later years, he worked for Howard Shepherd Trucking Co. and C.T. Harris Trucking Co. He was a retired School Bus Driver with the Twiggs County Board of Education. B.J. was preceded in death by his siblings, Alton Allen, Harry Allen, Ethel Rainwater, Lynwood Allen, Grady Allen, Mildred Allen and Dollie Allen.

BJ loved to dance in his younger years. He loved to talk to anybody. He loved helping people. He loved to tell stories of his life and had a memory that surpassed many. He could always remember dates, years, events, and times of almost anything in his life and sometimes in other peoples as well. Even in recent months he still loved tinkering with anything mechanic. When he no longer was able to do things himself, he would tell his son and grandson what to do to fix mechanical things. He loved to eat. His family for many years had yearly barbecues on the fourth of July and all sides of the family would attend. He and his brothers and sisters and mother and father would work preparing for this special day. He loved to barbecue. He loved Lake Sinclair. They would go to the lake almost every weekend after work and stay the entire weekend.

BJ will be missed by many that he showed kindness to. We will all miss him, but because of his faith in Christ, we know that this is not the end. We will see him again one day.

Couey Reece Stanley Funeral Home in Gordon has charge of arrangements.