Aviator, adventurer, and avid collector, Allen Autry was born on June 29, 1935. He lived in Los Feliz for 42 years before moving to Piedmont, California and finally to Port Townsend, Washington, where he died peacefully on November 29, 2022. Al is survived by his wife Molly Gordon; daughter Lisa Stockdale; stepsons Brian, Kevin and Daniel Gordon; and nieces Cindy Kirk and Tina Autry, all of California.
Al personified the American Dream and lived his life to the tune of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” He was a pioneer of the global office supply industry, cultivating relationships across the Pacific during his 62 years in business, which allowed him to focus on chasing adventure there and throughout the rest of the world. Upon graduation from Menlo Park High, he drove a tiny MG convertible from Palo Alto to Guatemala, with little more than a map and Spanish skills Al later described as “el basico.” In the 1960s, Al and his then wife Jackie were part of the Jet Set, accruing countless adventures abroad — going on safari with a Maasai warrior, traveling Egypt on camelback, and exploring Europe. Al dove the Great Barrier reef and searched the jungles of Papua New Guinea for missing WWII wrecks. He logged over 3,000 hours in his Beechcraft Bonanza, many of which were spent flying to Punta Final, Mexico — a rustic pilot’s village on the Sea of Cortez.
The adventure continued with the love of his life, Molly Gordon, whom he wed in Pohnpei in 2001, discovering great love and the world all over again. Molly and Al built a wonderful life together in the Bay Area before moving to Port Townsend in 2016. Though he had been a hunter and fisherman earlier in life, Port Townsend turned Al into an ardent naturalist and good friend of the local squirrel and deer populations. Along with the local wildlife, he truly loved cats and dogs all throughout his life. Like his famous cousin Gene, Al didn’t have children of his own. But through marriage he brought together two families, giving Lisa three little brothers and the Gordon brothers the sister they always needed. He will be remembered for his generosity, adventurous spirit, and dedication to family, friends, and animals. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Port Townsend Hospice Foundation, hospicefoundationjhc.org.
