He lived a life of service and continued to do so, even in his final moments
By Crystal Britt
Published: Jun. 12, 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT|Updated: Jun. 12, 2024 at 6:31 PM CDT
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KFVS) - Like many communities in the Heartland, there are stories of heroes.
Some are well-known, and some quietly live their lives never seeking recognition.
“He was a genuine guy, humble and patient,” Richard Webster of Poplar Bluff said.
Orville Duane Allen grew up in southeast Missouri and lived in the same Poplar Bluff neighborhood for nearly 70 years.
“He was our ambassador,” Jim Gerber said. “He waved at everybody, smiled at everybody. Everyone knew him, whether you lived here a year or 30 years.”
Jim Gerber, who lives close by, always referred to Orville Allen as Mr. Allen. “He was always Mr. Allen, respectfully Mr. Allen,” Gerber said.
Mr. Allen was a World War II veteran who served as a pilot near the end of the war in the United States Army Air Corps.
He then served in the Korean War, supporting artillery communications in the U.S. Army 1st Calvary Division.
“He came home and joined the reserves,” his daughter Linda Mitchelle said. “He was in that for over 20 years and retired as a lieutenant colonel.”
That’s just the beginning of his story.
Mr. Allen and his wife, Geraldine were married for 70 years.
They shared three children, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Orville Allen was also an educator, spending 40 years teaching vocational agriculture, with most of that time spent at Neelyville High School.
“He’s made a big influence on hundreds of students’ lives that they’ve carried a lifetime,” said former student, Richard Webster. “When I speak for myself I feel I’m speaking for the majority of the students.”
On Memorial Day weekend, when the storms rolled through southeast Missouri, it left some tree debris in Mr. Allen’s yard.
“He prided himself with this yard and this house, how he kept it, nothing ever got out of place,” Jim Gerber said. “There were so many times I would go by and he would be on a ladder, and he was in his nineties. He’d be 15-20 feet up in the air and he’s cutting down little limbs.”
So, it was no surprise to anyone that Mr. Allen was out doing yard work the day after the storm.
He was using a walker and had some help from a nurse who frequently would visit him to help him with tasks.
His daughter said her father somehow lost his footing when he was standing and fell backward.
“It was such a hard hit,” Linda Mitchelle said.
Mitchelle said the nurse who was with him immediately called an ambulance.
However, the head injury was severe.
“The doctor came in and they did a test and said he would not recover,” Mitchelle said.
That’s when Mid-America Transplant came into the picture.
“We partner with hospitals and work with them to evaluate individuals who have lost neurological function to see if they may be medically eligible for a donation,” said Kevin Lee, president and CEO at Mid-America Transplant.
Mr. Allen’s daughter said doctors evaluated her father overnight while he was at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.
“They said he had an amazingly healthy body,” Mitchelle said.
Mr. Allen, at the age of 98 in his final moments, was about to make history, becoming the oldest organ donor on record in the United States.
“We all agreed that would be his wishes,” Mitchelle said. “That’s just the kind of thing he would do.”
Soon after, staff at Saint Francis Medical Center lined the hallways for what’s known as an honor walk.
They clapped as Mr. Allen, followed by his family, was wheeled by on a hospital bed. It was in recognition of Allen’s final act of kindness.
“That was such a joy, one last gift from dad,” Mitchelle said.
While still on life support, he was then transported to St. Louis where doctors removed his liver, which would soon after save the life of a 72-year-old woman in Florida.
“That part right there doesn’t surprise me a bit, and it’s so heartwarming to know he could do that for someone else,” Jim Gerber said.
At his funeral, where he was honored for his service to our country, Mr. Allen inspired many others to become organ donors like his former student, Richard Webster.
“It hit me because that’s exactly what Mr. Allen would have done,” Webster said. “It has changed my mind about organ donation.”
Mr. Allen is also making waves in the medical community.
“He teaches all of us that age is just a number,” Kevin Lee said. “We continue to see advances in medicine. As a result, Mid-America Transplant and our team are working with older donors on a regular basis. Not long ago we used to think donors over 50 might be too old. Today, we regularly evaluate individuals up to the age of 90. Now, age 98...with Mr. Allen to see if they might be medically eligible to donate an organ.”
Kevin Lee spoke with us outside a newly unveiled memorial to organ and tissue donors.
It’s a sculpture on Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus in Cape Girardeau.
It is a place for families to visit in remembrance of their loved ones and for students and the community to be inspired to learn more about donation.
“He [Mr. Allen] is inspiring us to think bigger, to think bolder and to think about how many more lives we might be able to save not only here in Missouri but across the United States because of his generous and courageous act,” Lee said.
As Mr. Allen’s story is now talked about across the nation, back at home in Poplar Bluff, family and friends marvel at how the man they all knew and loved is celebrated by so many others.
“You don’t have enough minutes on your program to tell all the stories and blessings Mr. Allen has been to his students and the entire community,” Richard Webster said.
Richard Webster brought with him on the day of our interview his FFA jacket from the early 1970s.
Mr. Allen was not only his teacher but also his FFA advisor back then.
That jacket serves as a reminder of the man who was more than just a teacher to Webster, and many others.
“He started out being my advisor, counselor, mentor and then my friend,” Webster said. “There’s nothing I could do to repay what Mr. Allen has meant to me.”
Mr. Allen told his daughter that he had hoped to live to be 100 years old.
Even though he was just shy of that number, everyone agrees that Mr. Allen certainly lived his life to the fullest.
“He served his family, he served his state, his country and did it with pride,” Jim Gerber said.
And he teaches all of us that we are never too old to make a life-changing difference in this world.
“I think he would be happy that he was able to share his life with another person, to continue the legacy,” Linda Mitchelle said.
According to Mid-America Transplant, there are currently 4,000 people on the nationwide list for a lifesaving liver transplant.
You can sign up at your local DMV to be an organ donor, or you can click here to register.
Mid-America Transplant recommends everyone speak with their family about their decisions and wishes.
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