Although our hearts are broken, we rejoice that Bobby W. Allen is in no more pain and once again reunited with his beloved wife and son.      Bobby was born Oct. 12, 1937, in McKenzie, Tennessee, to Jewel and Clifford Allen. When Bobby was a teenager, the Allens moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he graduated from high school. While Bobby was attending The University of Texas at Austin, he met Nancy Gayle. He was immediately taken with her beautiful red hair, big smile and feisty personality. She loved his handsome looks and sense of humor. They married in 1961 and welcomed their only child Mark a year later.

Bobby earned a mathematics degree from UT-Austin and taught high school students for a few years, distinguishing himself in a new field at the time -- computer science. Later, Bobby received a master's degree from Pepperdine University.In 1972, the family moved to Arizona, where Bobby had accepted a job with Yuma Proving Ground. He was promoted to Chief of Facility Engineers before retiring.

For several years, Bobby, Nancy and Mark owned and ran The Photo Shop, encouraging many Yumans to enjoy and improve their photography skills.  Bobby loved genealogy, science, dogs and cats, puns and riddles. But most of all, he adored Nancy and Mark. Bobby died Oct. 5, 2021, after months of declining health.

He was predeceased by his parents and Mark, whose unexpected passing in 2017 left a huge whole in hearts around the world. Nancy died in 2019, just short of the Allens' 58 ^th wedding anniversary. Left to cherish Bobby's memory are Mark's wife, Lorri, several cousins, his friends, as well as Nancy's siblings.

The family thanks Maria Serventi for making Bobby's last years comfortable and for taking in Mary and Wicken as pets of her own.

Please honor Bobby's life by donating to the Mark W. Allen Memorial Scholarship Fund, in care of the East Texas Communities Foundation, 315 N. Broadway, Suite 210, Tyler TX, 75702 or www.etcf.org . The fund supports students attending The University of Texas who major in subjects Mark and Bobby loved, such as photography, art, film and writing.