Tributes

Paul Gregory Allen was born to the sounds of surf and Gulf breezes in the Old Biloxi Hospital in Biloxi, Mississippi, on October 10, 1959, to Leon Fletcher Allen and Marguerite Byrd Allen. He left this life suddenly and unfairly in San Antonio, Texas, on June 17, 2025, aged 65 years old, and no written tribute could capture the sadness felt by those he has left behind. It is said that a friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. There was never a truer friend than Paul Allen. Paul was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, peer, employer, partner, and homebuilder to many – all of who lament the loss of their friend. In all relationships, Paul led with kindness, integrity, loyalty, and decency. Paul’s childhood on the Mississippi Gulf Coast imprinted on his heart a love for the water, particularly from the vantage point of a sailboat. He and his siblings inherited a love of sailing from their parents and if you experienced time on a boat with Paul, you were in the presence of pure and true joy. Paul founded Paul Allen Homes in 1984, and has spent the last year celebrating a rare milestone in the homebuilding industry – his 40-year anniversary in business. Those who came to know Paul, whether as employees, trade partners, or clients, learned immediately that his values were unshakeable and that treating people well, whether or not it would benefit him, was always the right answer. Paul’s pride and happiness at work and on the water was only exceeded by one other presence in his life, and that is his family. His wife, Silvia, daughters Michelle and Isabelle, sons-in-law Coy and John, and his grandchildren, Kirra, Blake, and Jude, were the stars in Paul’s eyes. Loving and caring for his family was not just a priority, it was a mission, and he did that in the same Paul fashion: with kindness, integrity, loyalty, and decency. Paul’s devotion and adoration of his wife, Silvia, was immeasurable. Their marriage was a beautiful illustration of the privileges that come with loving someone wholly and truly. A born storyteller, Paul waxed rhapsodic about his adventures on the water and in homebuilding, the thrill and pride of being Silvia’s husband, the honor of raising his beautiful daughters, and the silly and blissful fun of being a grandfather. Paul’s stories will sustain us and Paul’s legacy will guide us as we begin the impossible task of saying goodbye. We can honor him by vowing to remember the songs in our hearts when we forget the words, as Paul would do if he were here. Paul is survived by his wife, Silvia Allen, daughters, Michelle (Coy) and Isabelle (John), grandchildren Kirra, Blake, and Jude, sister Dale of Maui, Hawaii, brother Glen (Suzan) of Stuart, Florida, Regina (Mike) of Canyon Lake, Texas, sister-in-law Carola Thumm-Soehle (Ronald) of Berlin, Germany, and brother-in-law Matthias Thumm of Wiesbaden, Germany, and countless friends, who are all kinder people for having known and loved him. Paul is preceded in death by his father, Leon Fletcher Allen, mother Marguerite Byrd Allen, mother-in-law Rosmarie Wilhelm, grandparents Helen Welch Byrd, Edgar Byrd, Helen Morrison Allen, and Leon Fletcher Allen, Sr. A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on June 25, 2025, at 1:00 pm at the Mission Park Funeral Home at 20900 I-10, San Antonio, Texas 78257. There will be a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Paul Allen’s name to Ocean Conservancy. https://tinyurl.com/honoringpaulallen Fair winds and following seas, Paul. Steady as she goes.

Tributes

Paul Gregory Allen

October 10, 1959 - June 17, 2025