Allan Harms

ALLAN HARMS

Cedar Rapids

Beloved husband, father and brother, Allan Harms of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, June 14, 2014, in

Rochester, Minn., after a two month fight with cancer. He was 69 years old.

Allan was born Feb. 14, 1945, in Auburn, Neb., to Walter and Minnie Harms. In Auburn, he graduated valedictorian of his class and then went on to graduate with distinction in electrical engineering from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he played baritone horn in the Cornhusker Marching Band and met his future wife. He was a member of Sigma Tau, Eta Kappa Nu and

Gamma Lambda honorary fraternities.

Sally and Allan were married on Aug. 31, 1968, in Ord, Neb.. Together they moved to Cedar Rapids. Allan went to work at

Rockwell Collins (then Collins Radio Co.) as a manufacturing support engineer and became interested in law. He received his M.B.A. from Iowa in 1973 and in 1974, he graduated from University of Iowa Law School with

distinction.

After being licensed by the Iowa Supreme Court in 1974, Allan studied independently for, and successfully completed, the patent office bar exam and became registered to practice patent law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1975, which allowed him to specialize in patent, trademark and intellectual property law. He also maintained an interest in business law, estate planning and probate law as well throughout his career.

After graduation, he joined Lew Eells Law office, which later became Eells, Blackstock, Affeldt and Harms, and later Wenzel, Piersall & Harms, P.C., and also worked with the Linn County Attorney's Office. The bulk of his career was spent in a happy and successful law partnership, Wenzel & Harms, P.C., with the late Richard Wenzel, practicing general and patent law.

In 2009, Allan joined the firm Shuttleworth & Ingersoll. He was an active member of the Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association, where he had served as president and board member and was a district competition judge for Invent Iowa! He loved to encourage young people to be involved with science and technology. He also served as a judge for mock trial competitions for several years.

Allan was an active member of the Cedar Rapids community in many ways. He was a member of the Cedar Rapids Noon Lions Club for 34 years. where he worked on projects to promote healthy sight and hearing for all, made many good friends and was named Lion of the Year in 1993.

He was a member of the Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, helping for many years at the annual sales and participating in America Reads.

He sang in the Harmony Hawks Barbershop Chorus for 35 years, serving at times as president, treasurer, show chairman and board member and was honored for his work with the Barbershopper of the Year Award in 2000. Many years on Valentine's Day, Allan loved to spend his birthday as part of a quartet delivering singing valentines that traveled around local offices surprising and (usually) delighting lucky recipients.

Allan was a talented baritone horn player as well, playing in the Marion Community Band and at various other times such as Tuba Christmas and Freedom Fest parades. He particularly enjoyed being a "regular substitute" with the Dixie Notes Plus Band.

Allan enjoyed watching his childrens' activities, from football games when it was 15 degrees to baseball games at 95 degrees to piano, trumpet and violin recitals, band, choir and orchestra concerts and was always there to support the kids. He was treasurer for the Kennedy Choral League from 1994 to 1996 and particularly loved watching the show choir performances, missing only one of the 20 Fab Five show choir concerts.

Allan and Sally enjoyed travel, including visits to Europe, Australia, England and regular visits to friends in Florida and Arizona, as well as short trips to nearby bike trails in the summer and fall. A trip to California in March gave him the opportunity to enjoy introducing three-year-old grandson, Griffin, to the wonders of Disneyland. In recent years, Allan and Sally discovered the fun of ballroom dancing, taking lessons at Faythe Kubik's studio in Atkins, where they enjoyed a group of like-minded friends and only wished they had done it years earlier.

He was a smart, passionate lawyer; a generous father, so proud of his kids; a faithful, loving husband; and an absolutely devoted grandfather.

Allan was preceded in death by his father, Walter Harms; and mother, Minnie Rogge Harms.

He will be deeply missed by his family and community, especially Sally; his son and daughter-in-law, Douglas and Claire Harms of Los Angeles, Calif.; his daughter, Kelly Harms Wimmer and her son,

Griffin Wimmer of Madison, Wis.; and his brother and sister-in-law, Roger and Kristine Harms of

Rochester, Minn., and their sons, Daniel and Michael.

He will also live on through the gift of his eyes to the Lions Club Eye Bank.

The family thanks the many friends who made his life fuller and who now lend their support in this sad time. We also thank the excellent and compassionate medical team at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

In lieu of flowers, the family knows Allan would prefer to be remembered with gifts to the Cedar Rapids Noon Lions Club, the Harmony Hawks or the Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library.

A celebration of his life is planned for a time in

July.

For information or to leave condolences, please email allanharms

memorial@gmail.com.