Allen G. Poland, 88

Allen George Poland, of Post Falls, Idaho, went to be with his Lord, Thursday, June 30, 2016, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He will be greatly missed by those who love him.

He was born the second child of Oscar Allen Poland and Elizabeth Jane (Herbert) Poland in Los Angeles, Calif.

He spent his childhood, selling the Saturday Evening Post and progressed to department store work, then the Los Angeles Times while still in Franklin High School. He enjoyed riding the streetcars in Los Angeles with his father and future father-in-law, Charles Van Dyke. After he graduated, he joined the U.S. Marine Corp. during World War II and served in China and Guam. After he came home, he married Anita Kay Van Dyke in 1949. They recently celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary on June 18, 2016.

He was called back into service during the Korean War and served in Korea with the First Marine Division, Eleventh Artillery. He worked for the Los Angeles Times for 44 years and retired in 1990 as a Pressroom Foreman.

Allen and Anita were blessed with three wonderful children; Leslie McAnallen (Mac), Bryan Poland and Kay Poland. Al was always there for them and enjoyed their different activities. (His specialties were helping his children’s friends’ toilet paper their home.) He never missed a parent conference and took great care in providing for his family. Big Al (or Huggy Bear, as he was known to family friends) was a lovable and benevolent person. He loved planning and taking trips (especially Australia and Hawaii), and couponing and grocery shopping. He and Anita were members of the Dalton Gardens Church of Christ.

The family resided in Whittier and Brea, Calif., until Al and Anita moved to Post Falls in 1994. One by one their children moved to Kootenai County.

Through their daughter and son-in-law, Leslie and Mac, they have two granddaughters: Kristan Giddinge (Michael) and Nicole Bartholomew (Scott); and five great-grandchildren, Dustin Gardiner, Luke Harding, Hayden and Haylee Bartholomew, and Corey Giddinge.

Please make any contributions in the memory of Allen Poland to the Coeur d’Alene Christian School, 6439 N. Fourth St., Dalton Gardens, Idaho, or your favorite charity.

A celebration of life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 9, 2016, at the Dalton Gardens Church of Christ, 6439 N. Fourth St., Dalton Gardens. Bell Tower Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.