ALVIN ‘AL’ YANCEY ALLEN, JR.- Obituary
Alvin “Al” Yancey Allen, Jr. of Franklinville on Thursday, April 18, 2023. Age 78. Longtime companion of the late Jack Minieri. Brother of Ray Allen of Lillington, NC; Gene Allen & wife April Allen of Hurdle Mills, NC; Janice Edelberg & husband August Edelberg of Orange, VA; Susan Willingham & husband Tommy Willingham of Remington, VA; and the late Jerry Allen of Grottoes, VA. Son of the late Alvin Yancey & Elizabeth Mae Allen, Sr. Uncle to many nieces and nephews. Also survived by a special friend and helper, Sherry Sharp of Franklinville.
Born in Roxboro, NC, Al joined the US Navy after graduating high school and proudly served for 3 years during the Vietnam War, including 20 months of foreign service. As a Navy Hospital Corpsman serving with a Marine Helicopter Squadron in the Republic of Vietnam, Al earned the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V for heroism. He also earned the Navy Commendation Medal and the Air Medal. Several months later, Al was wounded in action during combat and earned a Purple Heart.
Following his honorable discharge from the Navy, Al earned a BA in Biology and French Language from the University of Virginia and continued his education with some graduate work. He was the longtime owner of Griswold Special Care of Gloucester County based in Franklinville until his retirement in 2005.
Relatives and friends are invited to a graveside service of military honors on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 12:00 PM at the Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 240 N. Tuckahoe Road, Williamstown, NJ 08094 under the direction of the BARCLAY FUNERAL HOME of Clayton, NJ. A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 PM on Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Bushy Fork Community Hall, Hurdle Mills, NC. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Al to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 840, Washington, DC 20036. Sign the guestbook at BarclayFuneralHome.net.