Herb Allen, age 79, has called to the heavens (as he would joke with us), “I’m coming home, Margaret.” He passed away peacefully at home with his family.

He was born in Springfield, MA on October 29, 1944. Herb was preceded in death by his wife, Marilyn Allen, the gentle and ridiculously nice counterforce to his gruffness (which was mostly a show anyway), his father and brother–Joseph “Chick” Allen and Alvie Abramson, and his mother Diane Allen.

Herb was survived by his son, Jonathan Allen, daughter, Sarah Allen, son in law, Mark Powell, all of whom he professed to be proud of, and was also fairly annoyed by (we deserve it), His favorite child–his dog Tzimmes–brought him a lot of joy and kept him active and chatting with neighbors.

Herb’s true loves, besides Marilyn, were his four granddaughters, Minna, Althea, Claudine and Netta, and they absolutely adored.

Herb’s dad and brother died when he was a young boy, and he and his mom struggled to get by. He credits his mom, who kept the two of them afloat single-handedly, and his third-grade teacher, who gave him a “snap out of it and fly right” talk about his future, for changing the course of his life. He focused on becoming a doctor so he could help others. He got a full scholarship to Harvard, then another one to the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He and Marilyn met in San Francisco while he was doing his residency, and he was besotted. They eventually found themselves in Neenah, and the rest is history. He loved living, working, and raising kids here.

Herb was a psychiatrist at Theda Clark and St. Elizabeth, and he helped a lot of people in the area during the 1970s-2000s understand that getting mental health support isn’t shameful.

Herb was a wild mix of bluster and kindness, and his sense of humor was next level. Some of his favorite people to joke with were the staff at the Neenah YMCA, the curmudgeons in the basement of that same YMCA, former colleagues, neighbors in Neenah, and wonderful family friends including Irene Schaper, Steve and Edie Jacobsen, Jen and Wendly Nelson, and childhood friend Howard Scott.

One thing Herb taught his children was how important it is to apologize, and he wanted to apologize to the nursing staff, social workers, and occupational therapists at Theda Clark for not appreciating them enough when he worked there. He apologizes and was grateful for you.
Herb liked to say, “my luck held” when talking about his life. So did ours, Dad. Thank you for everything. We love you.