Allen E. Amsden

Husband, Father, Grandpa & Pilot

Allen E. "Al" Amsden, age 98 of Roseville, passed away April 29, 2024.

Allen was born in St. Paul, MN in 1925 and lived near Western and Rhondo streets. He moved to a home on Hawley street near the Rice St. North End area in the early 1930’s, and then to a new house on North Dale St in 1941. After going to Sylvan elementary school he attended St. Paul Vocational in 1939 for machinist toolmaker training and graduated from St Paul Washington H.S.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corp in January of 1944. Did his pilot training at Mississippi State for 3 months and was a pilot till the end of the WWII. After his discharge he became a licensed Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor for land and sea planes and also became a Licensed Aircraft Mechanic. Then worked as a Flight Instructor at Rice Lake Sea Plane Base in Lino Lakes in 1947-48. Al joined the Civil Air Patrol in 1957 to 1967 to help search for downed aircraft. He had over 2000 flying hours from1944-2004 when he stopped flying. As his lifelong profession he worked in machine shops as a Tool & Die Maker for 18 years and as a 3M Tool Design Engineer from 1967 till his retirement in 1989.

In 1948 he married Laurie. Larry and Roxy were born in the early 1950’s. From 1951-53 he built their house in Roseville and moved in during the fall of 1953. He lived in that house for the next 71 years. Many weekends were spent during the next 40 years at the Kern’s Camp Lake cabin. They rebuilt the cabin in 1976 after they inherited the cabin from Laurie’s parents Fred and Mary Kern. In 1966 he built a Midget Mustang airplane, finished it in 1973 and flew it for 30 years. He then rebuilt a 1948 Cessna 140 in a hangar he built at the Lake Elmo Airport. In 1989 they sold the Camp Lake cabin and bought a GMC motor home and traveled around the country. Joined the Twin Cities Motor Home Club in1992. Al and Laurie spent winters in Brownsville Texas from 1989-2002. In 1995 Al & Laurie joined the Twin Cities Model A Club. During the next 15 years he rebuilt 5 Model A Ford cars. In 2003 they sold the Texas place and bought a condo in Winter Haven, FL where Al & Laurie enjoyed playing golf together until Laurie passed away in 2007. Al then continued to spend winters there till 2020 and lived summers at his Roseville home until 2024. 

Preceded in death by his loving wife of 58 years, Laurie; parents, Lucy and Albert; son-in-law, Rick Berqual; and brother-in-law, Dave Peterson.

Survived by children, Larry (Helen) Amsden and Roxanne Berqual; sister, Janice Peterson; grandchildren, Cindy (Chris), Larry, Jr. (Nicki), Tom (Melissa), Doug (Val), and Diane (Chris); and great-grandchildren, Hailey, Carson, Piper, Henley and Palmer.

Private family interment at a later date.