Patrick J. Allen

PATRICK J. “PAT” ALLEN, age 77, of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, passed away peacefully on July 7, 2026.

Pat was born March 23, 1949, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and grew up in Bay Village, Ohio. He was the son of the late Ernest and Mary Jane (Lehman) Allen, and the brother of the late Michael Allen (Darlene, deceased).

Pat was a proud 1967 graduate of St. Edward High School and went on to earn his degree from Heidelberg University. He began his career as a police officer in Lakewood, Ohio, before serving as a parole officer for the State of Ohio, from which he happily retired. He then found a rewarding second career in security at the Cleveland Clinic, fully retiring in 2015. He also ran his own investigations and security services business along the way. Never one to slow down for long, Pat recently found joy working part-time as a bailiff at Rocky River Municipal Court.

On September 24, 1988, Pat married the love of his life, Marianne, and the two shared more than 38 years of marriage.

Known to his family as Dad, Pat, Grandpa, Grandpa Butchie, Unc, and — to old friends — “PJA,” he was, above all, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. He was known for being safe, non-judgmental, and endlessly accepting — a steady presence not just for his own children and grandchildren, but for scores of nieces and nephews, and friends of his children, who considered him a second father over the years. He signed off every text with a single word, “LUV,” and liked to remind anyone who’d listen that “I sure do have good looking grandkids.” He also never turned down a bag of Cheetos or an ice cream sundae. Pat proudly claimed Chippewa Indian blood in his family line — a claim he told with a grin all the same. He loved the outdoors: fishing for catfish off the dock at the family trailer, always watching for that first telltale bend in the pole, and heading south every fall to hunt deer in southern Ohio, a tradition shared across generations with his father, his brother, his nephews and great-nephews, his son, and eventually his grandson. He was just as content standing patiently over a mole’s hole with a bow and arrow, waiting for the smallest sign of movement. On the golf course where he was known to spend more time wandering into the woods hunting for lost balls than actually playing. Heloved animals — his dogs, and famously, a pet duck — though he never made peace with the birds that liked to leave their mark on his car. Music ran through Pat’s life. He played drums for his band, Rebound, holding practice right in the family living room, and picked up the harmonica along the way. He’d grab a guitar and sing “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” for anyone who’d listen. Driving home from a family vacation in Michigan, he once pulled off the highway on a whim to take his kids to see Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at a concert venue near Detroit, and later brought the whole family to see Chicago at Blossom Music Center. Pat bled green and gold for the St. Edward Eagles, and Cleveland sports ran a close second — he was a lifelong fan of the Guardians, Browns, and Cavaliers. He never missed a chance to watch his grandson play football, though true to form, he’d keep his phone in hand to follow the St. Ed’s game at the same time. He rarely missed a grandchild’s game, recital, or activity, and loved staying up late with his kids to watch David Letterman.

Pat was a devoted caretaker to his parents, and to Marianne’s, in their later years, and he held onto a handful of lifelong friendships — including Bill McKenna and Jim Riley — that spanned decades.

Pat is survived by his wife of 38 years, Marianne Allen; his daughter, Kim Cummings, and her children, Ryan Cummings, Brendan Cummings (Sarah), Kayla Cummings, and Madeline Cummings; his son, Shaun Allen (Stacy), and their children, Hunter and Evan (Katie) Allen; his daughter, Melissa Reust (Jason), and their children, Jacob and Chloe Reust (Marcello); his daughter, Stephanie Marshall, and her daughter, Lily Marshall; his son, John Crane (Maureen), and their children, Abbey and Ben Crane; his daughter, Kristen Crane, and her children, Oliver Palnik-Crane and Emery Palnik-Crane; and his son, Bradley Crane, and his sister-in-law Nancy Allen. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews who were loved as his own.

 Funeral Mass Saturday, July 11, St. Mary of the Falls Church (25615 Bagley Rd., Olmsted Falls) at 10 A.M. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery. Friends may call at CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED, 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS RD., FRIDAY 4-7 P.M.   

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Edward High School, Academic & Extracurricular Fund.