OBITUARY: Melbourne Couple Beverly, 93, and Cecil Richard Allen, 94, Passed Away Just Four Days Apart

Dick, 94, and Beverly, 93, were married for more than 74 years

In 1955 Dick Allen became a mail carrier for the Melbourne Post Office and rose through the ranks to become founding Superintendent of the Indialantic Post Office

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Longtime Melbourne couple Beverly T. (Mead) Allen, 93, and Cecil Richard “Dick” Allen, 94, passed peacefully into the arms of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ just four days apart; Beverly on July 29 and Richard on August 2.

They were married for over 74 years.

Beverly was born in the Stuart and Helen Mead home in Maplewood, N.J. and delivered by her father. Stuart & Helen were given Shaw Blueprint Machine Co. in Newark, N.J. by his father as a wedding present, which they owned and operated for 15 years.

However, most of Beverly’s childhood was spent in the Adirondack Mountains in Pottersville, NY, after her parents moved there and bought and operated the Black Bear Farm.

Travelers stopped there for gas, food, supplies and enjoyed the small zoo with “Annabelle” the black bear, who loved ice cream cones.

In the early 40’s, the Meads — with youngest daughters Beverly and June — moved to the Melbourne area and bought the Dixie Diner (later renamed the New York Diner) on South US1 in Melbourne. Beverly and June worked in the diner and met a tree surgeon crew working in the area.

Beverly wound up marrying the foreman, Richard “Dick” Allen. Her sister June married Bernie Clifton, Richard’s friend, and crew-mate, in a joint civil wedding in early 1946.

Beverly and June recall being in a rowboat on the Indian River just off the Mead home in Grant when their parents yelled that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.

Their brothers Norman Mead (US Army, Silver Star), Stuart Mead, Jr. (US Marines, China), and cousin Charlie Mead (USAAF, B-17 gunner) all served in combat during WWII.

The Mead women manned coastal observation platforms to identify planes flying along the coast, and actively wrote letters to many men serving overseas.

The Meads later closed the diner and converted it to Mead’s Blueprint & Supply Company at the same location. Stuart designed, built, and sold blueprint machines.

He and Helen also sold architectural and drafting supplies and made blueprint copies for many projects, including those for the initial phase of Disney World in Orlando.

Always an active reader, Beverly instilled in children and grandchildren a love of reading. Unable to graduate from high school in Pottersville because of the family move, years later she completed the GED and proudly received her diploma. Even into her eighties,

Beverly used her iPad to communicate to family and friends via email and Facebook. Beverly had many frog mementos because the acronym FROG stands for “Fully Rely On God!” She passed on many FROG bookmarks to friends and family to help them remember that advice.

Richard Allen was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, the youngest of 9 children who survived infancy. Malissie Annie Lampp Allen (the mother of four when her first husband died) married John Henry Allen and parented another four children.

Richard spent most of his childhood in Jacksonville; however, the family lived for a short time in Albany, GA, where he started first grade.

During his teen years Richard held various jobs in the Jacksonville area, helping to support his parents who worked as dairy farmers.

He became a Western Union delivery boy at only 14; he also worked at the Barrier’s Ice Cream Plant and at his uncle’s bakery. Later, he joined Farren’s Tree Service and worked throughout Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. During a trip to Melbourne, he stopped at the Dixie Diner and met “Blondie” Bev Mead and knew after the first meeting it was the girl he wanted to marry.

After settling down in Melbourne, Richard worked as a taxi driver, a gas station mechanic (he briefly owned the Standard Oil station on south US1 he bought from brother-in-law Norman Mead).

In 1955 he became a mail carrier for the Melbourne Post Office and rose through the ranks to become founding Superintendent of the Indialantic Post Office.

He also served stints at the Melbourne Beach Post Office and the Satellite Beach Post Office.

Beverly and Richard Allen became Christians early in their married life and were active members of June Park Baptist, First Baptist of Indialantic, and Wyomina Park Baptist of Ocala. Beverly held leadership positions in these churches including Nursery Director and Vacation Bible School Director.

Richard served as Deacon in all three churches and was named “Deacon Emeritus” for his long service at Wyomina Park Baptist. Richard cut the grass at Wyomina even into his eighties.

Beverly and Richard are survived by: Bev’s sister June (Bernie) Clifton of Indialantic; and five children: Barbara (Phil) Pelton and John (Judy) Allen of Melbourne; Tom (Cindy) Allen of Louisville, TN; Paul (Sharon) Allen of Winter Park; and Bev (Jo Sarmiento) Allen of Melbourne Beach. Richard & Beverly have 11 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren.

Beverly is predeceased by her parents, two older brothers (named above) and older sister Naomi Bedell. Richard is predeceased by his parents; half-siblings Arthur Brooker, Carl Brooker, Susie Brooker LeCerf, Virgie Brooker Slappey, Trudy Brooker, and James Brooker; and brothers Otis Allen, Emma Lou Furman, Varnell Manning.

Bev and Richard felt blessed to have seen Melbourne grow from a small, sleepy town to a city known for space, aviation and high technology. All five of their children were born in the old Brevard Hospital on US1 (now a doctor’s office), which was the forerunner of HealthFirst’s Holmes Regional Hospital.

Their remains will be interred at Melbourne Cemetery and the family will plan a celebration of life memorial, as yet undetermined.

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