Allen Lee Storbakken

Allen Lee Storbakken, 65, of Circle Pines, MN, peacefully entered into his heavenly home on Monday, August 9, 2021 surrounded by his wife, Kristi and his faith in God. He was born on July, 3, 1956 in Minneapolis to Leo Alf and Glada Kay (Schmidt) Storbakken. He was preceded in death by his parents. Left to treasure his memory are his wife, Kristi; son, Lee; daughters, Teransc Phillip (Jose Lusarreta), Sarah (Jason) Storbakken-Fehr; grandchildren, Tyus, Kaitlyn, Allison, Magnus, Ennis; siblings, Renae, and Marsha; extended family members, cousins, and many friends. Allen attended the University of Minnesota prior to enlisting in the US Navy. Following in his father's footsteps, Allen was sent to Radio School in San Diego, CA. There he learned International Morse Code, just as Leo had, which gave them their own unique way to communicate at times. They both proclaimed, "once you learn it, you never forget." Even in Leo's final hours, Al was communicating with him in Morse Code. Leo was able to acknowledged it uttering, "you never forget." Proudly, Allen served as a radioman aboard the USS Elmer Montgomery FF - 1082 in the Mediterranean from 1975 - 1978. He sustained a crushing head injury aboard ship which resulted in his medical discharge. The breadth and depth of the positive influences of the Navy were far reaching and lasted his lifetime. Allen retired from the Minneapolis Public School System in 2015, where he was employed as a janitor engineer for 31 years. Al met his wife, Kristi, in 1996 and they married 2 years later. Kristi was so blessed to be welcomed into the lives of Allen's 3 loving children. The couple shared their love of road trips and vacations (no, they are not the same thing!) through MN forests and the Appalachians, sailing on cruises, laughing, good coffee and great conversations. They mostly shared their love for each other and for their family. Al loved to drive his Ranger Boat up north and fish, especially on Lake Vermilion, staying at Spring Bay Resort, one of his favorites. He couldn't resist shopping the small towns looking for the perfect peanut brittle, or black licorice. He bought candy wherever he went. To Allen, Chess was a lifelong part of himself. He competed and did well in tournaments from high school on, eventually earning the rank of Chess Master. At age 17, Al became the youngest player to win the Minneapolis Open Chess Tournament. Later on, he would play thousands of games of Chess online with players from around the world. Allen often spoke of how Chess would be there for him during the ups and downs of life. Especially during the monumental challenges of this past year, his ability to escape into the world of "64 squares" brought him great solace. Besides his love of Chopin and classical music, Allen had quite a sense of humor, was very quick-witted, introspective and enjoyed writing prose and poetry, alike. He would turn this into a poem if he could, and he would make us all laugh and cry at the same time. In honor of Allen's legacy, in lieu of flowers, you may also consider memorials in his name to the following organizations: 1. Pancreatic Action Network - pancan.org 2. Allina Hospice Foundation - allinahealth.org (The Wedum Compassion Fund) 3. A charity of your choosing. Or, in the spirit of living a good life 1. Take a child fishing 2. Introduce a child to the world of Chess. As a great place to start, Allen highly recommended the following book by Bobby Fischer - "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess." Celebration of Life Service will be on Thursday, September 30th at 12:00 pm with visitation 1 hour prior at: Christ the King Lutheran Church 1900 7th St NW New Brighton, MN 55112 Lifeatctk.org 651-633-4674 Interment at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date. Washburn-McReavy.com Coon Rapids Chapel 763-767-1000

Tributes

Allen Lee Storbakken

July 3, 1956 - August 9, 2021

Tributes

Allen Lee Storbakken

July 3, 1956 - August 9, 2021

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