Randall Allender

Born in the Ozarks of Arkansas to hillbillies in a one-room house with a dirt floor, you could say our father had a humble start.  These were turbulent times & home life was filled with strife. After moving to Oakland at 5, Randall would spend summers in Arkansas working on family farms. He was in charge of his uncle’s champion blood hounds. Once, he accidentally left the chicken
coup open then came back a little later to find all the chickens wandering about the yard without a feather. The hounds had licked them naked! In High School, he excelled in math, swimming, & acrobatics. Randy was known to climb up the tallest rafters & jump off the High St. Bridge in Alameda down to the estuary below. At 16, he needed to leave school and become an apprentice ironworker to support his single, ailing mother. He
drag-raced cars & usually won. Tough as nails, no one messed with him.
Randall met the love of his life, 16-year-old Dianne Prida &
married in 3 months. Jody was born a couple years later & then came Dale. Jody, walking home from school at 6-years-old was hit by a drunk driver & permanently disabled. Randall met Jesus personally at this crossroads. He began to volunteer in the church as deacon & building foreman for many projects. Working hard, long hours helped him manage his grief while supporting a
growing family. Rachel was born a few years later. Good times included gardening, hunting with friends, fishing & camping at Mt. Lassen with the family as well as some cross-country trips.
With kids grown, Randall & Dianne took a trip to Hawaii where they especially delighted in the amazing tropical flowers. They bought & renovated an old cabin next to a beautiful creek in the Stanislaus National Forest. It became a family gathering place.  Sadly, God took Dianne home at the age of 56. A few years later, Randall retired then enjoyed competitive sporting clay & hunting around the country with friends. He became a certified instructor & taught sporting clay & gun safety to dozens of kids. Blessed with 4 granddaughters, he loved treating them to birthday dinners & gifts. Mini-golf was a favorite excursion for Rebekah & Amber. Isabela & Sophia hunted pheasants & fished with
“Grumpa.” About 9 years ago, he started to show signs of early dementia. Dale & his family cared for him at dad’s home until he moved near Rachel the last couple of years for professional care.
Although affected by sun-downers, he had a great memory & was able to express his love to his family until the very end. Randall was a loyal, passionate, independent, strong, challenging, & protective man, husband & father. He grew through the years in God’s grace & his family’s love.

He is survived by children Jody Allender, Dale (Denise) Allender & Rachel (Brett) Jackson; grandchildren Rebekah (Daniel) Schlimmer,
Amber (Kenny) Neyrinck, Isabela & Sophia Jackson; nieces & nephews; other family & loved ones.

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