Allan F. Meislahn was born May 9, 1952, the son of Christian F. and Alice C. Meislahn. He died at the Alameda Hospital, Alameda, California, Friday, April 18, 2008, at the age of 55.

Allan was born in Manning, Iowa, and raised on the family farm near Gray, Iowa. He was baptized in Christ on June 29, 1952, at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Audubon, Iowa. He attended grade school in Gray until the family moved to Denison, Iowa in 1965. He was confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison on March 19, 1967, and graduated from Denison High School in 1970.

Allan worked at Iowa Beef Packers in Denison for a time after high school and the next 25 years or so working as a meat cutter in meat stores in Des Moines, Iowa, Indianapolis, Indiana and at Safeway and Lucky's food stores in the Alameda area in California. He also worked for Todd Shipyards doing construction for 4 - 5 years and then handyman work for a couple years after that. All the time Allan enjoyed cooking and especially cooking for friends and the homeless people in the area.

Allan joined Immanuel Lutheran Church of Alameda in 1980 where he was very active and also served as Vice President of the church council for 2 years. He enjoyed cooking breakfast for church members for Easter sunrise services for more than 15 years. Immanuel's Pastor Roger Bauer reports Allan was always helping the less fortunate around Alameda and was well known in town as "a good guy."

Allan was preceded in death by his parents, Chris and Alice Meislahn, maternal grandparents, William and Emma Hass, and paternal grandparents, Bernard and Anna Meislahn. Survivors include one sister, Christy Meislahn of Palmer Lake, Colorado; one brother, Eric of Denison, Iowa; nephews, Shawn Meislahn of Denison; Joshua Thorpe and Angie Friesen of Omaha, Nebraska; Justin Thorpe and his wife, Amanda of Grand Island, Nebraska; four great-nieces, Sydni Benson and Rory Thorpe of Grand Island, Nebraska; Madison and MacKenzie Thorpe of Omaha, Nebraska; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Memorial services were held at 10:30 A.M., Saturday, May 10, 2008, at the Huebner Funeral Home in Denison, Iowa. Rev. Kurt Kaiser and Vicar Glen Meyers officiated the service with inurnment at the Gray Cemetery in Gray, Iowa. Karen Kahl provided the organ accompaniment for congregational singing "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound", "My Faith Looks Up To Thee" and "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee". Those serving as honorary pallbearers were: Shawn Meislahn, George Newcomb, Jeffrey Wegner, Joshua Thorpe, Larry Hagedorn, Jonnie Meislahn, Doug Morrell and Justin Thorpe. The family invited everyone in attendance at the service to join them in fellowship and lunch at the Gray Community School. The Huebner Funeral Home in Denison was in charge of arrangements.