Richard Franklin Allen

Richard Franklin Allen, 92, of Seattle 8/23/33-7/11/26 

Richard “Dick” Allen passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 11th, in his sleep. Born in Oakland, California, the only child of Lila (Haynes) and Richard Powell Allen, Dick grew up in Renton, WA. Though an only child, he was surrounded by a community of other children in his neighborhood, including his cousin, Beverly. Dick described playing endless games of baseball after school while his parents worked. His first job outside the family’s Allen Shops was at the local newspaper, The Renton Chronicle, where he was a “printer’s devil”, melting down lead Linotype in a furnace for 87 cents an hour. Eager to save for college, he was thrilled to earn a pay bump - to over a dollar an hour! - at the PACCAR Foundry, where he poured molten steel.

After graduating from Renton High School with an interest in architecture, Dick crossed the country by train to attend Yale University on an ROTC scholarship. Though Yale encouraged engineering after he earned a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT, Dick studied American Political and Economic Systems and History, graduating in 1955. In the Navy, he volunteered to be the ship’s Watch Officer on long hauls and was awestruck by the weighty responsibility he had for the safety of 100 crewmen and a ship worth millions of dollars. In 1956, as part of Operation Redwing, Dick and his crewmates witnessed nuclear weapons testing in the Bikini atoll of the Pacific. Due to likely radiation exposure, Dick was forced to abandon his plans to work with the Navy’s nuclear program.

Awaiting his next assignment during shore leave in San Francisco, Dick met Sharon Lee Bruer at a party. After a year of Sharon’s home-cooked meals and bonding over a love of baseball, they wed at St. Rose Catholic Church in Santa Rosa, CA in June 1957. Directly after their wedding, Dick was ordered to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis to teach Naval History and Economics. Among his students was future U.S. Senator John McCain. Dick credits his new mother-in-law, Kay Bruer, with pointing him toward his eventual career path, practicing law. Teaching by day, Dick attended Georgetown Law School by night, all while starting a family. Having both grown up without siblings, Sharon and Dick were determined to have a big family and welcomed their first 3 children, Richard “Rick”, Kathleen and Michael, during their years in Annapolis.

Once Dick completed law school and passed the bar in 1961, the young family drove cross country and settled in Kirkland and Bellevue, Washington. There they welcomed 4 more kids - Christopher, Thomas, Tobias & Mary – and attended Holy Family Kirkland and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bellevue. Outfitted in his dress whites, Dick reported for drill weekends monthly as part of the Naval Reserves and eventually retired from the Navy as a Captain in 1994. 

Dick had a long and storied legal career in Seattle specializing in maritime law and worked in both Seattle and London for Lane Powell. In lieu of retiring in 1999, Dick took a new position at another Seattle firm, opening a London office for Cozen O’Connor.

Dick and Sharon divorced after 21 years of marriage. He next married Becky (Nicoletta) Johnson, enjoying global travel together, including favorite trips to Greece and an “around the world” fare to Egypt, Istanbul, Turkey, Thailand and Japan.

After the couple divorced, Dick remarried and is survived by his wife, Patricia “Trish” (Collins) Allen. Trish and Dick travelled to Australia to celebrate their marriage with Trish’s family and settled in London, where they welcomed their son, Ethan, in 2005. The couple moved to West Seattle when Ethan started grade school and Dick continued his legal career until he retired in 2022 – just a month before his eldest son - from Cozen O’Connor, at age 88. He had a goal to see Ethan graduate high school, which he did in June 2023. Dick credited both continuing to work and having a child in his seventies with keeping him youthful.

Dick took great pride in his work but also loved favorite pastimes - he was an avid reader, went on yearly deep-sea fishing expeditions to Alaska, loved art, listening to jazz, and a good meal with an excellent glass of wine, especially when shared with good friends. Ever a devoted Seattle Mariners baseball fan, Dick hosted yearly trips to Mariners Spring Training for his family.

Dick is preceded in death by his parents, his ex-wife, Sharon, and his son, Tobias. Dick is survived by his wife, Trish, 7 children, 6 son- and daughters-in-law, 13 grandchildren and a growing group of great-grandkids and extended family.

His funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, July 23rd, 2026 at 12pm at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle.

Please share memories & sign the guestbook, located below. 

Arrangements Entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home of West Seattle