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- Obituary:
Walter Willie Allen
March 15, 1937 - August 27, 2008
Walter Willie Allen was born on March 15, 1937, in a houseboat on Bayou Tensas near Bayou Chene in the Atchafalaya Basin. He was the second of 11 children born to David Edward and Electa Guillot Allen. He was raised in the Basin until 1942 when the family moved to land adjacent to the Basin levee. He lived in Bayou Sorrel all of his life with the exception of three years in the military, for which he volunteered, and was certified as a paratrooper, hostage negotiator and jungle expert. Walter died of liver disease at 6:19 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008, surrounded by family and friends. He was 71. Visiting at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine, on Thursday, Aug. 28, was from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Visiting resumes at the funeral home Friday from 9 a.m. until religious service at 11 a.m., conducted by Brother John Moyers. Walter is survived by his mother, Electa Guillot Allen; and siblings, David "Black" Jr. and wife Joyce Cavalier Allen, Elaine Allen, Tony Allen, Michael Allen, Linda Allen, Thomas "Tubby" Allen and Jocelyn "Jackie" and husband Claude "Mop" Duncan. Walter is survived by his daughter, Karen Allen Coussou Serrette and husband Jackie; sons, Ken and wife Francine Michelli Allen, and Kurt and wife Nelda Day Allen; and grandchildren, Brandon Coussou, Jeremy Coussou, Jennifer Allen, Richie Coussou, Chelsea Allen, Brent Allen, Vanessa Allen and Shannah Allen. His great-grandchildren are Leslie Coussou, Ashlynn Coussou, Gregory "Bubba" Duncan and Katelynn Duncan. Walter has numerous nieces and nephews. Also survived by his former wife of 18 years, Relda Watts Allen Percle; and former wife of 21 years, Josie Genusa. Preceded in death by his father, David Edward Allen Sr.; three young siblings, James Dewey Allen, Charles Joseph Allen and Judith Ann Allen; and niece Tabatha Allen King. Walter was a jack-of-all-trades and master of many. Even after an oil field accident in 1968 left him paralyzed from the waist down, he pursued life on his own terms, continuing to hunt, fish and crawfish, drive a car and six-wheeler, swim and travel. Walter was a singer, songwriter and self-taught musician playing the guitar, fiddle, steel guitar and piano. He sat in as a singer with many bands across Louisiana. He loved the Atchafalaya Basin and knew it first-hand, enjoying fishing and crawfishing. He was an archivist and an avid videographer who knew the value of oral histories and the recording of everyday events. Walter was a giant in Louisiana's environmental movement. He had the strength and the spirit, the intelligence and the sense of justice it took to endure these long battles. He waged some alone, at great personal expense with no means or outside financial backing. For nearly 30 years, Walter blazed trails in fighting mammoth size polluting corporations. Because of a penchant for documentation and his analytical turn of mind, he was able to team with good attorneys handling environmental cases and affect the outcome in a way that few laymen could. Indeed, friends playfully accused him of practicing law without a license. His greatest environmental victory was realized shortly before his passing with the closure of the hazardous waste injection well facility in Bayou Sorrel. The importance of this event for Louisiana, her natural resources and her people, cannot be overstated. Walter was one-of-a-kind, an example of a person who, despite having little means or education, was able to transcend his personal trials, communicate his visionary thoughts and, in working tirelessly, succeed in making our world a better place. Walter's beautiful voice and smile, as well as the twinkle in his eye will always be remembered. He was a man movies are made of. This good Christian soldier is now dancing and enjoying the rewards he so richly deserves. "Throw back our heads and run with a passion, through the fields of forgiveness and grace, we carry the Eternal Flame. With an undying hope and a blazing conviction for the Truth that will never fade, we are lanterns in the dark, children of the Burning Heart."
(Published by Wilbert Funeral Home of Plaquemine, LA)
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1937 - 2008 (71 years)
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