Frank W. (Bill) Allen, 80, a lifelong Story County resident, passed away April 1, 2011 at Israel Family Hospice House.

Bill was born on his family's farm on February 15, 1931 to Mac and Ina Allen. He met and fell in love with his lifelong sweetheart, LaDonna Webb, when he was a teenager. They were married on January 19, 1951 in Nevada.

Family, friends, and community were his life and love. Bill was a builder, developer, and realtor. He retired as president of Bill Allen Construction. He attended Simpson College and Iowa State University. After beginning his career at S. Hanson Lumber, Bill joined Schoeneman Bros. Lumber in Ames as manager. In 1971, he and several partners founded Allen Construction Co. Inc., (now Story Construction, Inc.) and Century 21 Gray Real Estate, Inc. Bill and his partners developed many pieces of real estate and built hundreds of houses and commercial buildings across central Iowa.

Bill spent much of his life promoting the construction industry in central Iowa. He helped many friends and family grow and develop their businesses and was committed to always doing business locally.

He was involved in the community with many organizations, serving in leadership roles in nearly every organization in which he was involved. Included among those were local, state, and national homebuilders associations (past local and state president, national board of directors and Lifetime Golden Spike); local, state, and national associations of Realtors; Rotary International; Masonic Lodge (33rd Degree) and the Royal Order of the Jesters; the Jaycees; the Ames Chamber of Commerce; BPOE Elk's Lodge; the Prairie Meadows Charitable Grants Fund; Associated General Contractors; Master Builder's of Iowa; and, served on the Ames Community Schools Board of Education for ten years with one term as president. Bill and LaDonna have been active members of Ames Golf and Country Club where he was a past president. Bill was an avid supporter of Iowa State, both academically and athletically, and a member of the Iowa State Cyclone Club and Order of the Knoll. He was a member of Northminster Presbyterian Church in Ames.

Bill loved traveling with LaDonna, his daily coffee groups, the weekly golf foursome, his great fishing trips to Canada, and attending as many Iowa State athletic events as could be squeezed in...all shared with his many wonderful friends and his family.

Bill is survived by wife, LaDonna; son Mark Allen (Lori); daughter Kris Scheppler (John); grandchildren Pat, Cari, Kelley, Morgan, and Jack; and great-grandchildren Raeanne, Avery, and Wyatt. He also leaves sisters, Pat Britson and Anne Wakefield (John) and sister-in-law Cheryl Junkmann and brother-in-law Richard Webb (Phyllis). He was very close to his entire family, and loved all his nieces, nephews and many cousins.

He was a loving husband, a great role model as a father and father-in-law, and the best Grandpa Bill his grandchildren or great-grandchildren could ever ask for.



Friends and family wishing to make memorial gifts are invited to contribute to the Alzheimer's Association, the Israel Hospice House (through Mary Greeley Memorial Foundation), and/or Northminster Presbyterian Church.


Services will be held at Northminster Presbyterian Church at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 5. Visitation will be held at Grandon Funeral & Cremation Care with the family present 2:00 - 4:00 pm and 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Monday, April 4, 2011.

Bill and his family would be honored to have anyone from the construction industry or the Ames business communities to have their company vehicle join in the procession from the church to the graveside.

Online condolences may be sent to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com