Allen Vander Meulen, Jr., 89, died peacefully at The Commons in Lincoln, MA on November 22, 2021. Born in Chicago, Illinois on June 23, 1932, he was the eldest child of Allen (Sr) and Alice (Connor) Vander Meulen of Chicago. The grandchild of Irish and Dutch immigrants, Allen grew up on the South side of Chicago. He graduated from Fenger High School in 1950. His youth was a happy time, despite the challenges his family faced while he and his siblings were born and grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. He graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in Economics (1954); and from Yale Divinity School (1958). Allen was Minister at Third Congregational Church in Waterbury, CT 1958-63, where he met the love of his life, Dorothy Overbaugh, and were married on August 29, 1959. Their children Allen III and David were born there; daughter Ruth was born in Vermont. Allen's gifts as a teacher, mentor, and administrator, were widely appreciated. He had a strong drive to advocate on behalf of those who had no voice; and to seek justice and opportunity for those who had none. Soon after moving to Vermont he joined other area ministers to travel to Washington DC and stand in solidarity with hundreds of thousands of others from all over the Nation to hear Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Allen became Minister at Centre Congregational Church in Brattleboro, VT in 1963. He left in 1968, serving as an interim minister throughout Massachusetts and Vermont while attending school, graduating from Brown University with a PhD in Economics in 1974. In 1973 he became an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. He also directed the school's extension program in Casper. In 1978 Allen joined North Central College in Naperville, IL as a Professor of Economics. He oversaw the school's new "Weekend College" and helped establish what is now their Computer Science Department. He also helped establish the school's MBA program. In later years he taught Business Ethics as well. Retiring in 1997, Allen and Dorothy returned to Brattleboro. There he served as Chair of Centre Church's Endowment Committee, a Trustee for the Town Library, and participated in several other organizations. He enjoyed family, travel, biking, long walks, and conversing about philosophy, ethics, or politics. Allen and Dorothy moved to Lincoln, MA in late 2019. Allen was predeceased by his parents and his sister Eva. He is survived by his wife Dorothy; son Allen III and wife Stephanie of Lincoln, MA; son David and wife Julie of Aurora, IL; daughter Ruth and husband Tim of Rockford, IL; brother Ross and wife Kay of Galesburg, IL; Brother-in-Law Robert Overbaugh and wife Nancy of Westford, MA; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. Allen's grandchildren are Elizabeth Anne Vander Meulen, Aaron Taylor, Joshua Taylor, and Allen Vander Meulen IV. There was a private memorial service at the Dee Funeral Home of Concord, MA. A celebration of his life will be held at Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT on Saturday, June 25th, 2022. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Centre Congregational Church (centrechurchvermont.org), Brown University (brown.edu), Yale Divinity School (divinity.yale.edu), or the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org). Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.