James (Jim) Merwyn Allen, age 75, died peacefully on September 8, 2024, at Meilland Memory Care with family by his side. Jim was born on June 30, 1949, to Silas Merwyn and Dorothy Louise (Youngberg) Allen in Creston, IA. He lived in Creston until the age of 17 when his father was transferred to Washington D.C. with the Department of Agriculture. Jim graduated from DuVal Senior High School in Glenn Dale, MD, but was always received as a member of Creston High School’s Class of ’67.

Returning to Iowa for college, Jim spent two years at Iowa State University (his father’s alma mater) before transferring to Augustana College in Rock Island, IL (his mother’s alma mater). Soon after graduating, Jim moved to Kalamazoo to work in the credit and banking industry. On August 30, 1975, he married Christine Johnson at Trinity Lutheran Church where they met singing in the choir.

In 1976, Jim obtained his realtor’s license and began a 42-year career in real estate. Over his career, he received numerous sales awards and was granted Realtor Emeritus status by the National Association of Realtors upon his retirement in 2018. He loved working with first-time homebuyers, many of whom would return to him for a future home purchase. A great “connector” with people, Jim could strike up a conversation with anyone, and believed that “a good realtor could always find you a good house, but it was up to you to make it a good home.” Taking his own advice to heart, Jim was a loving husband and father who always found a way to balance his sales schedule with family activities and his sons’ concerts.

An active member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Jim sang in the choir for 48 years, served on the property committee, on Trinity’s Foundation Board, as a counter, an usher, and in countless other roles over the years. Jim served on the North/West Lower Michigan Synod’s Candidacy Committee which guided seminarians through the process of becoming pastors and deacons in the church.

Jim enjoyed traveling, history, and good whiskey—as long as it was not scotch. Family trips often included stops at important historical landmarks, Civil War battlefields, and National Parks. He traveled internationally on several occasions even though his first overseas trip landed him in an Irish hospital for two weeks as he recovered from appendicitis and missed singing for President Johnson in the Rose Garden. Jim hoped to return to Europe and the Holy Land before he was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia. His interests culminated in one final adventure making memories with his sons and sampling whiskey along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Jim is survived by his wife, Chris; sons, Erik (Amy) Allen, and Nathan (Laura) Allen; grandchildren, Becca, Charlie, Joanna, Madeline, and William Allen; sister, Linnea (Mark) Holmer; nieces, Krista (Wes) Lane, and Kaia (Tim) Holt; sister-in-law, Greta Decker; and other extended family and friends.