SAYING GOODBYE TO A FRIEND

AN UNEXPECTED DEPARTURE

On Wednesday, January 12, 2024, my friend, Allen Klosowski, unexpectedly passed away of natural causes in his home in Newport Beach, about a mile from my home. On Saturday, January 27, 2024, a warm cloudless Southern California day, my Sweet Susie and I joined a small group of friends and family at his gravesite to send him on his final journey. 

THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY OF FRIENDSHIP

I have known Allen from the first day of kindergarten. He and I were classmates through elementary school, junior high school, high school, and a couple semesters of junior college. We were schoolmates, but not buddies.

SEPARATE PATHS

Our paths diverged as he went on to the University of Southern California and I went into the United States Army to fly helicopters.  They didn’t re-converge until a decade later, when we met up at a high school reunion. He had been our Senior Class President and, as such, he was charged with trying to round up classmates for reunions. We would talk infrequently - we each were going about leading our own lives. 

TRAGEDY RE-CONNECTED US

In 1986 his wife, Jeannie, passed away of lung cancer and her 3 children moved in with their father. From that time until a couple years ago Allen and I would meet for lunch once a week and chat about common interests - old school days, old friends and his beloved USC football teams.   Saturday I learned that he had regular, but less frequent, lunch meetings with other old chums and business associates. 

SELFLESS GENEROSITY

I also learned of his selfless philanthropy, both in terms of cash and as a mentor to many, particularly veterans. Several speakers at his gravesite told us about his generosity and encouragement, all of which made me even more proud of my friend.  For example, his long-time assistant, and now the executor of his estate, told us his thoughtfulness and professionalism as her boss and friend. 

We heard from the man who purchased his business and about how Allen continued to stay in touch with his old clients to smooth the transition. 

One of his USC fraternity brothers spoke of their fun times together and their continuing friendship.  

One young veteran, who had been considering the seminary, spoke about the mentoring he received from my friend which resulted in a return to college and a successful career as a Director of Employee Wellness at a resort. 

We learned of another veteran he sponsored at the USC Marshall School of Business and now works in clandestine activities for the US Government. And, we learned of his generosity to the USC Norris Cancer facility in Los Angeles that resulted in a wing of that facility being named for him and his late wife, Jeannie.   Allen was very humble about these activities. 

AND HE WAS STUBBORN, TOO

From conversations with those attending the service, and who later joined us at Allen’s home for refreshments, there were a couple common threads. One was his kindness and generosity, as mentioned above. The other was his stubbornness. To say that my friend was firm in his opinions, on almost any subject, would be a major understatement. Those observations had been presented with light-hearted admiration, not criticism. 

YOUTHFUL STORIES SHARED

Allen was a pretty typical kid in our youth. When I announced his passing to classmates I heard from a few of his close friends from those early days, sharing stories of escapades of their time together. He and I did not share a social life in high school - my focus was elsewhere - but he had a very active, fun time as a teenager. 

POLIO CHANGED HIS FOCUS

Allen contracted polio as a teenager and simply disappeared for awhile. When he returned to school he seemed to have a tighter focus on academics and service. I mentioned he was our class president, but that was only part of it. He participated in many service-oriented groups. That focus stayed with him all his life. 

A PROUD, GRATEFUL TROJAN

Allen was proud of his time at USC and as a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, where one of  his “brothers” was actor Tom Selleck.  He maintained a close relationship with some of those men, one of whom spoke today. He has been very generous to the school, trying to repay the opportunities it provided to him. 

EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL

Allen was a very successful businessman, operating a financial advisory practice for decades before selling it and retiring a few years ago. He wrote a book - Personal Financial Fitness, a practical guide to improve the health of your wealth - which is in it’s 5th edition. By helping others improve their financial health he earned a very good living, the proceeds of which he has generously shared over the years. 

WITH SOME UNHAPPY ELEMENTS, TOO

We also learned of the sad, inexplicable estrangement from his step-daughters for more than 3 decades.  They came to pay their respects to him.

REST IN PEACE, MY OLD FRIEND

So, Saturday we laid our kind, generous, stubborn friend to rest with his dear Jeannie. His positive impact on those in his life, and beyond to future generations, will endure. Rest in peace, my friend.