Allen Cory

Allen Earl Cory age 85Allen Earl Cory, Marshalltown, died Friday June 22 at his home with his loving family at his side.A memorial service will be held Monday at 10:00 am at the Liberty Baptist Church in Marshalltown to celebrate his life. Visitation will be Sunday 4:00 7:00 at Mitchell Funeral Home.Allen was born to Horace and Mary Ryan Cory on a farm in Tama County on February 2, 1927. He attended country schools in Tama and Marshall Counties, graduating from LaMoille in 1944. After graduation Allen volunteered for the draft in the Army Signal Corps. He spent most of the time in the States during WWII but was sent to Korea at the end of the war. Had he been sent to Germany like half of his troop, he always felt he might never have returned. After his discharge, he returned home to farm. His family moved to a farm near Ferguson where he met his future wife, Lois Keese.Allen and Lois attended Northwestern Bible College in Minneapolis in 1949 1950 when Billy Graham was president. They married August 20, 1950 at the Baptist Temple in Marshalltown. Allen farmed for several years along with working at the Marshalltown Water Works for 20 years. Allen served as the custodian of the First Baptist Church for 15 years. After retiring from the Water Works, he loved working part time for Airport Express driving people to and from local airports meeting interesting people from all over the world. He enjoyed working for Fuji Films delivering film to be developed. Allen earned his license to drive a semi truck at age 78 - just to say he could. He was a seasonal driver at Heartland Coop delivering fertilizer to the fields where he could enjoy the countryside. Allen was a member of the First Baptist Church for 45 years and Liberty Baptist for the past 2 years.Allen enjoyed having a good time, making people laugh and appreciating the world around him. Especially memorable was a family cruise to the Southern Caribbean in which a crayfish mysteriously followed him back to his cabin from a small town in Martinique. The family celebrated Allen and Loiss 50th wedding anniversary with an Alaskan cruise where he was in awe of Mt McKinleys summit, whales breaching, blue glaciers calving and catching a 35 lb. salmon. A highlight of Allens recent years occurred on August 19, 2010, when he participated on the Freedom Flight to Washington D.C. to see the Memorial of World War II and other patriotic sites. He was honored and humbled by the experience.Allen is survived by his wife of 62 years, Lois Keese Cory, daughters, Maralee (Mike) Scott of Buffalo Grove, IL, Marlys (Barry Lynch) Highland of Marshalltown, Melodie (Scott) DuToit of Altoona, grandchildren, Derek and Hannah Scott, Alex and Aaron DuToit, Katie Christensen, Ashley Boydstun, and McKenzie Highland, 7 great grand children, and his beloved dog, Alfie. He is also survived by his sister, Viola Richardson, and several nieces and nephews.He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Bill, Arnold and Donald, and sisters, Ellen Walton, Lois Walton, and Leona Potter. Memorials can be directed to the Liberty Baptist Honduras Mission Project or Iowa River Hospice.