ALLEN, BENJAMIN AUSTIN 91 - of New Gretna, went home to meet his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. Born in New Gretna on December 10, 1917, Ben was a lifelong resident of New Gretna.
He was a veteran of WWII, serving 14 months in the Pacific campaign, including battles on Leyte, Guam, Ohau, and Okinawa where he, acting in the capacity of a lead scout, was severely wounded. He was decorated for the Asiatic, Pacific, and Philippine campaigns and received the prestigious purple heart.
Ben worked in the local Bass River CCC camp during the depression and, after the war, was self employed in the gravel business and also worked in the bay. He received the Hurley Conklin award from the Tuckerton Seaport in 2001. Ben is particularly remembered by multiple generations for plowing gardens throughout New Gretna.
Ben was predeceased by his parents, Harry and Ray Etta Allen; two brothers, Leon and George Allen; and two sisters, Anna Newman and Sara Ware. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Elaine Bangert Allen and a son and daughter-in-law, Mike and Helen Sirmon Allen of Robertsdale, Alabama.
A viewing will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of New Gretna, 19 North Maple Avenue on Saturday, October 31st from 10 to 11am, followed by a service and burial at Miller Cemetery, New Gretna. Arrangements are by Maxwell Funeral Home, 160 Mathistown Road, Little Egg Harbor. Donations may be sent, in lieu of flowers, to the First Presbyterian Church of New Gretna, P.O. Box 144, New Gretna, NJ 08224.
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