DAY, Allen

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona, Sunday, November 10, 2013 Allen Day was born in Missoula, Mont., on March 29, 1938, to Merl (Bud) and Novara (Nevi) Melton Day. He went to school in Missoula until his junior year, when he transferred to Stevensville High School. He played varsity basketball with the Stevensville Yellow Jackets, and graduated with the class of 1956. Allen was in the Air Force for four years, most of which was spent at a base in Misawa, Japan. One of his great pleasures in recent years was being reunited with many of his old buddies from Misawa. There is a reunion every year in different cities in the U.S., and these guys are like long-lost brothers, even though it has been over 50 years since they served together. He was a communications tech with the U.S. Forest Service, maintaining two-way radios, telephone systems and all other communications equipment. He started in Missoula and transferred to Butte, then Helena, and finally, in 1975, to Prescott, Ariz., where he retired in 1993. His major concern during his working years was that all the Forest Service employees had communications and were safe. In the late 1980s, he took up running, and was soon running 10k races, mostly in Phoenix. He then progressed to half-marathons, and ran four full marathons, including the Whiskey Row Marathon. We were amazed and so proud of him, to be able to train his body to run 26.2 miles. He also took up cooking, which he loved, and did all the family cooking and shopping for many years. He had a natural knack for preparing food, and we had wonderful meals as a result. One of his favorite activities several years ago was building trails with the "Over the Hill Gang." He worked on the Peavine and the Willow Lake Trail among others. He also liked being able to do some contract work for the Forest Service, installing new radios in vehicles and driving supplies for the fire cache. Most of all, he enjoyed keeping in touch with the people he knew and getting acquainted with new people. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer at the end of June, and died on Nov. 2, 2013. We will miss his humor and his wisdom. He taught us to laugh often, sometimes a little irreverently, and he helped us to see that many of life's trials are not worth the effort it takes to get upset. He is survived by his wife Jayne; brother Duane of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; a son, John; and a daughter, Molly Auman, and her husband Jeff. In lieu of flowers, tributes may be made as donations to the Compassionate Care Fund of Good Samaritan Hospice, 1065 Ruth St., Prescott, AZ 86301-1729, phone: 928-778-5655. A memorial service will take place 1 p.m. Dec. 14, 2013, at the VA Chapel, Building 152, Prescott, Ariz. Information provided by survivors.