Charles "Charlie" E. Allard

"Charles “Charlie” E. Allard, 94, who chose to live life with a positive attitude, a generous heart, and smile for everyone, passed away at the Holyoke Soldiers Home surrounded by his most cherished family. He was born December 5, 1924 in West Springfield to Authur Allard and Helen Bedell (Munson). If you knew Charlie, you learned about honor and bravery through his many WWII stories. Being a Navy corpsman at the age of 17 on the USS Fayette, he was proud to serve with his fellow Marines on six invasions in the Pacific. If you knew Charlie in his younger years, you admired him for his service to his community as a proud member of the South Hadley Fire Department District #1, serving 31 years and retiring as Deputy Chief in 1985. You may have run into him while he managed the VFW Post #3104 or shared a beer with him at the American Legion Post #351 while watching a Red Sox game. You may have visited with him at the annual children’s Christmas party at the Mount Holyoke Masonic Lodge or watched him play baseball at the South Hadley Beach Grounds. Charlie was a fixture in the South Hadley community. If you knew Charlie, you always had someone to count on. He probably fixed your car, surprised you with a kielbasa, or shared his delicious deviled eggs or home-grown tomatoes with you. If you lived in the area or attended Mount Holyoke College, you may have called on him or his loving wife Joanie, for a ride to the airport using their College Limousine Service, a business they owned together for 30 years. If you knew Charlie, you understood how proud he was of his seven great-grandchildren. He cheered on soccer, gymnastics, football, baseball, basketball, theater, improv, singing, Cosplay, and flying. He strongly encouraged academics from rewarding A’s on report cards to encouraging college and military academy applications and finding scholarships to help with costs. During visits at the soldiers home, he always looked forward to hearing about their latest achievements and adventures. Grampa Allard inspired a positive outlook and a love of living in them all: Corey & Courtney Cowdell, Tasha Blanchard, Collin & Catrina Touchette, and Kealyn & Caden Matuszczak. If you knew Charlie, you saw the special relationship he forged with his six granddaughters. He always gathered them on the weekends into his station wagon where they would hang their feet out the tailgate window to venture around town doing errands or go to Bradley Field to watch the airplanes. He would cook them his special bacon and eggs on the griddle or share his stash of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or frozen Snickers bars with them. He never failed to surprise them with Maine lobsters or a summer clambake. He will be forever missed by Chris Matuszczak and her husband Kevin, Gwen Blanchard and her husband Bob, Wendy Touchette and her husband Andy, April Cowdell and her fiancé Rich, Kelsey Hodge and her fiancé Andrew, and Karley Hodge and her beau Sean. If you knew Charlie, you couldn’t miss the love he held for his daughters, Cindy Fleming and Linda Hodge. Charlie acted as a special order cook in the tiny kitchen serving up western omelets, eggs over easy, or grilled ham and cheese. His girls loved to try to beat him in wrestling and hated it when Dad rubbed his scruffy whiskers against their cheeks. Taking the bi-annual pilgrimage to New Hampshire to visit Grandma Bedell always included a stop at Hampton Beach. The tragic losses of his youngest child, Charles “Chuckie” in 1963, and his oldest child, Marjorie Tolpa in 1976, were two of his most difficult experiences, but he continued to see the good in life. He welcomed son-in laws – Walter Tolpa, William Fleming, and Herb Hodge - into his family; they, too, will feel his loss. And if you knew Charlie, you knew Joanie, his loving wife of 71 years. Together they shared decades of fun and laughter, bowling, playing cards and cribbage together, venturing on cruises and vacationing in Hawaii, Germany, and South America. They enjoyed planning Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter dinners for their family, and Charlie always wrote “the list” to ensure that everyone was assigned a dish to bring. Monthly celebrations for birthdays and anniversaries were also a top priority which included several speedy rounds of Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary and eating, drinking and merry making. Through it all, Charlie & Joanie laughed, loved, and always managed to keep each other in line. If you knew Charlie, you knew he loved living at the Holyoke Soldiers Home for the past five years. You could find him reading his newspaper, singing karaoke, playing bingo anytime it was offered, or watching afternoon entertainment, especially enjoying Sarah the Fiddler. He spent hours cheering for the Red Sox, Patriots, and UConn Women’s basketball teams on television. He loved when the staff took the veterans on field trips. He was also forever grateful for his Honor Flight experience in 2017. If you knew Charlie, he would always want you to “Eat, Drink, and be Happy!” Charlie will be missed by all, including his brother, Zeke McClaflin and his wife Phyllis and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Alden McClaflin. The family would like to thank all the staff at the Holyoke Soldiers Home for their loving care, along with Keith Cowdell for his many years of assistance. Calling hours will be held Tuesday, Dec. 3rd from 4:00-7:00 p.m at the Beers & Story South Hadley Funeral Home. His funeral will be held at Beers & Story on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. with a burial at St. Rose Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to the Holyoke Soldiers Home Recreational Therapy Department, 110 Cherry St., Holyoke, MA 01040."