Corporal Carey W. Allender

Corporal Carey Warren Allender Corporal Carey W. Allender peacefully departed this life on December 27, 2015. Corporal Allender was born February 16, 1921, the son of the late Charles Clayton and Anna Laura Allender. Corporal Allender is survived by his wife of 70 years, Augusta P. (Harman) Allender and his beloved daughter Pamela Allender. He is preceded in death by one daughter Shelia, four brothers, Allen, Conrad “Willey”, Charles "Charlie" and Boyd who along with Corporal Allender proudly served in the United States armed forces during World War II. One brother, Boyd Allender died while serving in the Third Army during the Battle of Metz. Corporal Allender is additionally preceded in death by two sisters Julia and Francis, one sister-in-law Charlotte Sue (Wagoner) Harman, and brothers-in-law Deward, Loy, and Dewayne Harman. Corporal Allender often recollected that he was “almost a stillborn” but ended up living much longer than his siblings. He had a deep and abiding relationship with God and carefully considered his interactions with his fellow man. He was a man of honor and high intelligence and ideals, and worked diligently to live by the standards in which he so strongly believed. Corporal Allender, worked for Goodyear in Akron Ohio where he retired after 30 years of service. His family was paramount in his life, and he worked tirelessly to provide a foundation for them. He single handedly built three homes for his family and believed that his relationships with God, his family and friends, along with hard work was the recipe for a long and happy life. Corporal Allender was also a beloved “Uncle” to his many nieces and nephews who cherished their time with him. As a child of the “Great Depression” and the need to help support his family, Uncle Carey often reflected that his formal schooling ended without graduating from high school. However, all who knew him will attest to his amazing wealth of knowledge and insight. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1940 prior to the formal declaration of World War II and was stationed in Iceland as a part of the “Second Echelon” defending the United States against the Nazis who were at the time occupying Norway. He served on the outpost of Vestmannaeyjar Iceland as part of a unit charged with building an early radar system. During his deployment in Vestmannaeyjar, his unit was subjected to “gale force winds.” Uncle Carey recalled that during guard duty a piece of volcanic rock was blown into his left eye. No formally trained medical personnel were stationed on the island, and the object remained in his eye for the duration of the War. Because of his permanent eye injury he was left partially blinded for the remainder of his life. This did not deter Corporal Allender from engaging fully in life. During his enlistment, Corporal Allender was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which is the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was stationed in London, surviving the London “Blitz” and was eventually deployed to Paris with the OSS where he served until the end of World War II. Among his many achievements in civilian life is teaching himself to play the banjo at the age of 40. He became a highly accomplished musician and was well known in Bluegrass circles, having performed on a weekly radio program in Akron, Ohio. Corporal Allender is survived by sisters-in-law, Avandelene (Harman) Cornell, Carolyn Luella (Harman) Hanifan, Gwendolyn “Teddy” (Harman) Wentz, and Diana (Harman) Payne. He is additionally survived by his brother- and sister-in-law Gary and Susan (O’Dell) Harman. Corporal Allender is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews who enjoyed his interesting and entertaining stories and hearing his beautiful voice to the accompaniment of the many instruments he mastered including the banjo, guitar, and mandolin. He taught them many lessons and he will be deeply missed. Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM, on Tuesday, December 29, 2015, at the Indian Camp Cemetery. The Upshur County Honor Guard will conduct military honors at the graveside. In lieu of flowers, Corporal Allender wished that donations be sent to the Wounded Warrior Project at P.O. Box 758517 Topeka, Kansas 66675. Donations can be made online at: https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org.

Corporal Carey W. Allender

February 16, 1921 - December 27, 2015