ALLEN, Hank Darrell

Hank Darrell Allen was his name and he was all boy! Hank was born on March 17, 1995 in La Grande, Oregon. There were no limits to what he wouldn’t or in his mind couldn’t do. Every bit of his life was Full Throttle thanks to his dad Darrell Allen. Hank’s adventure began when he was three days old, loaded up in the logging truck with his dad headed for the woods. Darrell became an expert in shifting gears while mixing Hank’s bottles. Hank lived in Pendleton, Oregon until he was two years old then he went on the truck with his mom Cindy and dad Darrell. Hank got to travel to every state. His trips took him to Orange County Choppers in New York, Yankee Stadium where he was given a signed baseball, the Roy Rogers & Will Rogers museums, Washington D.C., he ran the racing circle of NASCAR in Bristol Tennessee, and even got to tag along on a lumber delivery to his hero Dale Earnhardt’s House. When it was time to go to school Hank and his parents moved to Halfway, Oregon where they looked forward to snowmobiling in the winter months. His first snowmobile was a Polaris 340 with a custom paint job with his name on it that he received when he was only five years old. It didn’t take Hank long to break it in, literally BREAK it in. It was on a trip to Joseph, OR with his mom and dad and Denny & Jan Oliver where Hank’s dad decided to go full throttle on the snowmobile. Darrell was unaware that Hank decided to follow. The snow flew and the race was on. Hank was directly behind Darrell and catching up fast, that is until Darrell slowed down and Hank didn’t! Hank rode home with his mom as his dad towed his snowmobile home. As Hank started getting older his interest included bicycles, skateboards, and horses. Hank’s first horse was named Cricket. Hank, not being very experienced, when Cricket crow hopped he would say “look mom she’s doing a wheelie”. When Hank was twelve he went snowmobiling at Fish Lake with his mom. They met up with some friends from Joseph and as Hank watched the older guys climb Fish Lake Mountain he said “mom I’m going to the small side of the hill, I’ll be back”. Halfway across the frozen lake Hank turned his sled and headed for the big hill. Hank made it to the top, went up and over, and then as he came back into sight he stood on the top of the hill jumping and screaming in joy! When he got back down to the bottom he was shaking more than his mom was, from the adrenaline rush it gave him. Hank’s stories could go on and on. Hank’s life was fast, wild, and always full of adventure. There was never a dull moment. Hank loved his life, his friends, his hunting days with his brothers Sam & Don, and adventures with his sisters Tami & Cheyenne. Hank always had a story to tell. Hank and his older sister Tami were considered the “Jesse James Gang” of the family. They were always getting into trouble when they were together. Hank spent a lot of time with his sister Tami and she recalls babysitting Hank when he was only 3 weeks old. Tami would pray that when 6 a.m. came that Hank would sleep for just 10 minutes longer. Hank and Tami had a bond that couldn’t be broken. After Hank passed his hunter’s safety course at age twelve he was taken on his first hunt by his brother Don, his mom, and Lucas & Jeremy Simpson. After three hours of hiking up a hill just as dawn was approaching they spotted several huge bull elk across the canyon. Hank shot his first bull elk which scored a 328. Hank finally had bragging rights and constantly reminded his brother Don of that. The first time Hank learned to drive stick shift was when his sister Cheyenne asked him if he wanted to go for a ride to town. Hank said “only if I can drive”. Hank was only twelve and he was excited to show his sis what he thought he knew about driving. Off to town they went, a fifteen minute trip turned into a two hour road trip. Hank had decided that it was so much fun driving that he didn’t want to stop and held Cheyenne hostage in the passenger seat of her own car. From that point on even though Cheyenne lived on the opposite side of town, Hank would frequently call her asking her if she needed to go to town, and that he would be glad to drive her. Once when Hank’s older brother Sam came to visit, hank snuck into Sam’s truck and tore into the middle of the field where Sam, his mom, and stepdad Mark were standing and spun cookies with Sam’s truck tearing up the field. Even though Sam wanted to kick his butt all he could do was laugh at how crazy Hank was. Hank loved all types of sports including baseball, soccer, football, wrestling where he went to state. He always wanted to push the limits. When Hank was 15 he traded in his horse for a bicycle. The bicycle proved to be too much. One night as Hank was transported to the hospital while holding his two front teeth in his hand. He always said the girls liked him better with no teeth because they thought he was tough! Hank decided to buy a longboard and skate down the Richland grade. His mom Cindy said “no way” but was later convinced by Mark, Hank’s stepdad, that it would be ok as long as he followed in the pickup. So Cindy grabbed the camera and videotaped Hank as he glided down Richland grade on his skateboard and also down the Halfway grade on the way back. He knew then that he had pulled his new stepdad Mark into his web of adventures! At the age of sixteen Hank moved to North Dakota with his mom and stepdad. Hank had his own man cave camp trailer to live in which later became the party house for him and all his new friends. That was until Cindy moved him right next door to her. Hank had struggled with the new school and so he decided to get his GED instead. Hank went to the Williston State College in North Dakota and got his GED in just one month. Hank would have turned 18 on March 17th; he had planned on returning to Oregon to learn how to drive log truck with his dad. Hank wanted to continue the family tradition of logging that came from both his mom and dad’s side of the family. Hank’s life was taken by sad tragedy on March 5th, 2013, a day that will make us remember what a great spirited young man Hank Darrell Allen was. Hank is survived by his mom Cindy Mecham, stepdad Mark Mecham, dad Darrell Allen, brother Sam Thompson and Sam’s wife Georgea of Pilot Rock, brother Don Chandler and Don’s wife Nicole of Halfway, sister Tami Dudley of Halfway, sister Cheyenne Pollock of Halfway, grandparents Mary Thompson of Pendleton, Don & Joyce Allen of Cottage Grove, Eva Allen of Pendleton, stepbrother Cody Mecham of Eugene, along with many aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins, and lots and lots of friends. Services for Hank Allen will be held Friday, March 15th in Halfway, OR at the Halfway Elementary Gym beginning at 1:00pm. The burial will follow at the Pine Haven Cemetery. Following the burial, friends are invited to join the family for a Celebration of Hank's Life at the Halfway Lions Hall. For those who wish to make a memorial donation in memory of Hank you may do so to the Hank Allen Athletic Memorial Fund/Pine Eagle Schools through Tami's Pine Valley Funeral Home P.O. Box 543 Halfway, Oregon 97834. We all know Hank is in Heaven with his grandpa Sam, uncle Bruce, and uncle Sammy. We can only imagine Hank telling them to “get in, sit down, and hold on”! http://www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com March 2013