Allen Dale Croat, 69, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, died peacefully on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2022, at Good Samaritan Villages in Sioux Falls, surrounded by friends and family.
A memorial service was Monday, Sept. 12, at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne, followed by a gathering at the St. Catherine Catholic Church parish hall before a burial at St. Adrian Catholic Cemetery.
Allen Croat was born July 12, 1953, to Wilfred and Ina (Fox) Croat in Luverne. He was baptized at St. Catherine Catholic Church in 1953 and attended school at Hills-Beaver Creek public school, graduating in 1971.
After graduation Allen completed X-ray tech school in 1972 and moved to Sleepy Eye, where he worked first as a lab tech and then as an X-ray tech. In 1981 Allen accepted a position as an X-ray tech at Sioux Valley hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. After four years he was promoted to CAT scan tech, a position he held for the next 33 years.
Allen was also a very active member of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists from 1981 through 2020. He served as vice president and president for one year each on the local and state boards and was president of the national board for a year. He also served two years as president, two years as chairman of the board, and six years on the board for the South Dakota Society of Radiologic Technologists. He was very proud of his career and dedicated a large portion of his time and energy to serving his community by improving and bettering his field of work.
After his retirement he continued to live in Sioux Falls with a close friend, Roxie Rauk.
In March of 2021 he moved into the Good Samaritan Villages of Sioux Falls for rehabilitation following a surgery.
In his free time Allen enjoyed reading, listening to music, doing needle point and crocheting. Allen loved all types of music, especially the golden oldies, and his collection of music grew over the years.
He also developed a love for Disney and worked part time at the Disney Store in Sioux Falls. He learned to know every Disney character, which movie they played in, and which songs were in that movie. He also collected Disney memorabilia and loved wearing anything Disney.
Allen is survived by his best friend, Roxie Rauk of Sioux Falls; his nieces and nephews, Mary Krumwiede of Bingham Lake, Terri Birman of Canby, Larry (Jill) Karsten of Milroy, Sherri Karsten of Ivanhoe, Lynette (Jeff) Werner of Wilmont, Tammy (Kevin) Stude of Sioux Falls, and Amy Dammer of Rushmore; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings Gene, Duane, Beverly, and Donna.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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