116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Patrick R. Allender
Patrick R. Allender
Iowa City
Pat surrendered his battle with cancer and passed away peacefully Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at home surrounded by his family.
A memorial service to celebrate Pat’s life will be held at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City. The family will greet friends after 12:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Following the service, a gathering for family and friends will be held at the Terry Trueblood Pavilion from 3 to 5 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the Pat Allender Memorial Fund has been established. Donations may be sent to c/o P.O. Box 167, Iowa City, IA 52244.
He was born July 15, 1951, in Davenport, Iowa, the son of Charles and Evelyn (Kloss) Allender. Pat married Ruth Funk on Aug. 31, 1974.
Pat and Ruth spent years creating a life of adventures, memories, happiness, camping and motorcycle riding with friends. Pat was constantly fidgeting inside or outside or fixing everything if needed. He very rarely started a project that he couldn’t finish.
Pat served four years in the USMC, where he was stationed in Great Lakes Naval Base. This is where his passion for airplanes began. He was a mechanic working on A-4.
They moved to Lone Tree, where they welcomed their daughter Sara. After 10 years the family relocated back to Iowa City where Pat joined the team at MidAmerican in 1987, retiring as a lineman in 2013 after 26 years of service. Prior to that he worked for Merit Electric & Homewood Electric as a master electrician.
His memberships included Local Union 109, Confederate Air Force, AOPA, AMA & Tail Draggers INC out of Green Castle. Pat had many hobbies and passions: hare scrambles, anything airplane related, flying, winters in Fort Myers, Fla., aerobatics, country music especially Meryl Haggard, Fox News, playing with his grandsons and throwing balls for Ella.
He built an experimental airplane (RV4) which he earned an award at the 2002 Oshkosh Airshow. The award was for Outstanding Craftsmanship. It was the only year he flew his plane to Oshkosh.
Pat and Ruth moved to Nevada, Texas, in December of 2021 to be closer to their daughter and family.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth Funk Allender, and their daughter, Sara (Luke) Mallicoat; grandsons, Ethan and Evan; the family dog, Ella; his siblings, John (Sandy) Allender and Jim Allender; sisters-in-law, Anita Funk and Deb Funk; several nieces and nephews; 14 great-nieces and great-nephews; and a large extended family.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers and sisters-in-law, Larry Funk, Gloria (Bob) Kelley, Hop (Cindy) Funk and Kenneth Funk.
Pat will be missed by many and loved forever!
Online condolences may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.com.
Daily Newsletters