By Crystal Britt and Andrew McMunn
Published: Jun. 13, 2024 at 2:15 PM EDT
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (KFVS/Gray News) - A man from Missouri became the oldest organ donor on record in the United States at the age of 98.
Orville Duane Allen grew up in southeast Missouri and lived in the same Poplar Bluff neighborhood for nearly 70 years.
Jim Gerber, who lives close by, said he had always referred to Allen as “Mr. Allen.”
“He was our ambassador,” Gerber said. “He waved at everybody, smiled at everybody. Everyone knew him, whether you lived here a year or 30 years.”
Allen was a World War II veteran who served as a pilot near the end of the war in the United States Army Air Corps, according to his daughter, Linda Mitchelle.
He then served in the Korean War, supporting artillery communications in the U.S. Army 1st Calvary Division.
“He came home and joined the reserves,” Mitchelle said. “He was in that for over 20 years and retired as a lieutenant colonel.”
Allen and his wife, Geraldine, were married for over 70 years, sharing three children, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Allen was also an educator, spending 40 years teaching vocational agriculture. Most of that time was spent at Neelyville High School.
Richard Webster, a former student of Allen’s, said Allen was genuine, humble, and patient.
“He’s made a big influence on hundreds of students’ lives that they’ve carried a lifetime,” Webster said. “When I speak for myself, I feel I’m speaking for the majority of the students.”
Allen’s life came to an end on Memorial Day weekend, leading to his donation.
When storms rolled through southeast Missouri that weekend, they left some tree debris in Allen’s yard.
“He prided himself with this yard and this house, how he kept it, nothing ever got out of place,” Gerber said. “There were so many times I would go by and he would be on a ladder, and he was in his 90s. He’d be 15-20 feet up in the air and he’s cutting down little limbs.”
At the time, Allen was using a walker and had some help from a nurse who would frequently visit him to help with tasks.
While out working, Allen’s daughter said he somehow lost his footing when he was standing and fell backward.
“It was such a hard hit,” Mitchelle said.
Mitchelle said the nurse who was with him immediately called an ambulance.
However, the head injury was severe.
“The doctor came in and they did a test and said he would not recover,” Mitchelle said.
That’s when Mid-America Transplant, which works with hospitals to find individuals who may be medically eligible to donate an organ, came into the picture.
Mitchelle said the doctors evaluated her father overnight while he was being cared for at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.
“They said he had an amazingly healthy body,” Mitchelle said.
At the age of 98 and at the end of his life, Allen was about to make history.
“We all agreed that would be his wishes,” Mitchelle said. “That’s just the kind of thing he would do.”
Soon after the decision was made, staff at Saint Francis Medical Center lined the hallways for what’s known as an honor walk.
They clapped as Allen, followed by his family, was wheeled by on a hospital bed, in recognition of Allen’s final act of kindness.
“That was such a joy, one last gift from dad,” Mitchelle said.
While still on life support, Allen was taken to St. Louis where the doctors removed his liver, which would soon after be used to save the life of a 72-year-old woman in Florida.
“That part right there doesn’t surprise me a bit, and it’s so heartwarming to know he could do that for someone else,” Gerber said.
At his funeral, where he was honored for his service to our country, Allen inspired many others to become organ donors including Webster.
“It hit me because that’s exactly what Allen would have done,” Webster said. “It has changed my mind about organ donation.”
Allen’s donation is also making waves in the medical community, with many medical professionals saying that having a donor who is 98 years of age may lead to many re-evaluating the cutoff age for healthy donors.
Mitchelle said her father told her he had hoped to live to be 100 years old. Although he was just short of that number, everyone agrees he lived life to the fullest.
“He served his family, he served his state, his country and did it with pride,” Gerber said.
He has also shown that no one is ever too old to make a life-changing difference in this world.
“I think he would be happy that he was able to share his life with another person, to continue the legacy,” Mitchelle said.
According to Mid-America Transplant, there are currently 4,000 people on the nationwide list for a lifesaving liver transplant.
You can sign up at your local DMV to be an organ donor, or you can register online.
Mid-America Transplant recommends everyone speak with their family about their decisions and wishes.
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