Undated, unidentified clipping in a scrapbook at the Saranac Lake Veteran's Club.Born: May 23, 1920
Died: February 21, 2010
Married: Norma Zacker
Children: Ona and Billy Allen
William Page Allen Sr. was a long-time guide, lock-tender on the Saranac River and caretaker for the Rosenthal family on Lake Placid. He lived on French Hill at 28 Virginia Street in Saranac Lake. His son Billy operated the Waterhole #3. He was a World War II Veteran, stationed in the Pacific with the the Army Corps of Engineers. He moved to Saranac Lake in 1947.
He was the son of Ona Wheeler Allen and Enoch "Bill" Page Allen.
He started hunting when young along Forest Home Road and Boot Bay Mountain with his parents.
At age 86 he retired from caretaking camps Meadowhill and Irondequoit on Lake Placid where he had been caretaker for over 45 years.
He was a member of the Moose Club and of the Saranac Lake Fish and Game Club. His wife Norma was the first Queen of Winter Carnival to be selected by the vote of fellow Saranac Lakers.
He was also the beloved coach of Vinnie's Vamps, a ladies softball team that began play in the 1970s in the Saranac Lake Womens Softball League.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 24, 2010
William Page Allen Sr.
SARANAC LAKE — Saranac Lake lost one of its most notable woodsmen and friends on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 with the death of Bill Allen Sr., at age 89. He died in the home where he had lived most of his life.
Mr. Allen is survived by his daughter Ona, son Billy, and longtime four-legged companion, Pooker, who were at his side. Special friends Johnny O’Brien, Buz Guthrie and Sue Conroy were also in attendance.
Mr. Allen was born in Saranac Lake on May 23, 1920 to Ona Wheeler Allen and Enoch “Bill” Page Allen. He started hunting at an early age along Forest Home Road and Boot Mountain with his parents.
After graduating from Saranac Lake High School in 1941, he entered World War II and was stationed in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the Army Engineers. Prior to the war, he worked at Rochester Products and General Motors in Rochester, where he met Norma Zacker. They were married in 1947 and raised their family in Saranac Lake.
Mr. Allen was the tender on both the upper and lower Saranac Lake locks for many years as was his father before him. He loved his hunting and fishing guide jobs which enabled his outdoor lifestyle. He was caretaker for several of the state permit camps, most notably Camp Robinwood and Camp Bandanna on Lower Saranac. He retired at age 86 from camps Meadowkill and Irondiquoit on Lake Placid where he had been caretaker for the Rosenthal family for over 45 years.
Mr. Allen was a consistent contributor to our community. For many years he coached Vinnie’s Vamps women’s soft- ball team, worked on numerous Carnival ice palaces and belonged to the Moose Club, Saranac Lake Fish & Game Club, and was a lifetime member of the Suckerbrook Hunting Club. He gladly revealed his renowned woods- man’s acumen to many an aspiring young person. He was an avid supporter of Billy’s baseball and hockey programs as well as Ona’s equestrian, skating and skiing endeavors. He was particularly proud of his wife Norma, who was the first Queen of Winter Carnival to be selected by vote of fellow Saranac Lakers.
Mr. Allen had a good life and lived it just the way he wanted among the mountains and waterways of his beloved Adirondacks. He delighted in entertaining with impromptu stories of big bucks and fast rabbits and even bigger and faster pike, bass and trout.
To share stories, good food and camaraderie, and to honor the life of Bill Allen Sr., please join Ona and Billy from 1 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26 at 474 Forest Hill Ave. in Saranac Lake.
In lieu of flowers, it is suggested that donations be made in Bill Allen’s name to the National Rifle Association, the Tri-Lakes Humane Society or High Peaks Hospice.
External link: Adirondack Daily Enterprise, February 26, 2010, Joe Hackett, "Deer breathe a sigh of relief at passing of Allen"
