Robert Edward Allen, known affectionately as Father Bob, passed away peacefully on February 23, 2025, at the age of 84. Born on January 5, 1941, in Stuttgart, Arkansas, Bob spent a lifetime devoted to faith, service, and the arts. Raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Bob graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1959 before embarking on a path of education and spiritual development. At Hendrix College, he pursued his passion for painting, earning a Bachelor of Art in 1963.

His academic endeavors continued at the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, where he received a Bachelor of Divinity and a Master of Sacred Theology. Driven by a commitment to both artistic and theological exploration, he later studied painting at the graduate level at the University of Dallas, Braniff Graduate School, before completing his academic journey with a degree in Anglican Studies from St. Luke's School of Theology, University of the South. Bob was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1973 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Osceola, Arkansas by Bishop Christoph Keller. His vibrant journey of ministry saw him serve with dedication and grace as the Rector at Holy Apostles in Memphis, Tennessee, and later as the Canon to the Ordinary of the Diocese of West Tennessee. In 1991, Bob returned to Arkansas, leading the community at St. Mary's in El Dorado until his retirement in 2007. Ever devoted to service, he continued to be a guiding presence as a supply priest at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Crossett, Arkansas, until 2014. One of Father Bob's enduring legacies is the establishment of the Interfaith Health Clinic, now named the Father Bob Allen Charitable Clinic. Under his vision, this initiative grew from a humble start in a spare room at St. Mary's into a cornerstone resource for providing healthcare to uninsured and low-income residents in Union County, Arkansas.

Bob is predeceased by his father, Robert Edward Allen Sr.; his mother, Margaret Turnsek Allen; and his brother, Dan Allen. He is survived by his beloved daughter, Katherine Allen Steelman, her husband Noel, and his two children Daulton and Kristen whose lives he enriched with love and guidance. As we reflect on his life, we celebrate an individual whose unwavering faith, compassion, and creativity touched countless lives. Father Bob's legacy is woven into the very fabric of the community he served so diligently. His memory will endure through the lives he touched and the work he began.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 10:30 am at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in El Dorado, Arkansas. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to The Father Bob Allen Charitable Clinic in El Dorado, Arkansas. Checks can be made out to Father Bob Allen Charitable Clinic and can be mailed to 815 Thompson Ave Suite A, El Dorado, AR 71730.