Allen Paul Neely

Allen Paul Neely, born August 29, 1966, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026, in State College. For most of the eight years he lived with cancer, Allen continued to pursue the activities and relationships he cherished most. Even in his final, more difficult year, he found joy through the steadfast love of his family and friends.

As an only child, Allen spent an idyllic childhood roaming Hollidaysburg’s Brush Mountain, where he gathered a circle of friends who became lifelong brothers. A gifted student and talented athlete, he attended Shippensburg University, studying finance and management while participating in the honors program. He went on to earn his juris doctorate from The Dickinson School of Law in 1992, an occasion marked by the presence of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar that same year, Allen began his legal career at Jubelirer, Carothers, Krier and Halpern in Hollidaysburg before joining McQuaide Blasko in State College in 1995, where he became a shareholder in 2008. He specialized in civil litigation, professional negligence defense, education law, labor and employment, and construction law. A certified pro bono mediator and adjunct professor in Penn State Dickinson School of Law’s advocacy program, he practiced across more than twenty-five counties and appeared before Pennsylvania’s appellate courts as well as federal courts. He retired from McQuaide Blasko in 2024.

Allen is survived by his parents, Donald Lynn Neely and Carolyn Jane (Caltabaugh) Neely of Hollidaysburg; his wife, Kimberly Ann (Cook) Neely of State College; and their daughters, Julia Rachel Neely of Boston, Massachusetts, and Sarah Pearle Neely of Arlington, Virginia. His sisters- and brothers-in-law, nephews, and niece held a special place in his heart, as did his wide circle of friends, including members of the Cheers, Gears, and Beers mountain biking group, colleagues from McQuaide Blasko, and his neighbors.

Happiest on a mountain bike trail, tailgating at Beaver Stadium, or quietly at home with his family, Allen embraced life with humility, sincerity, and courage. He filled his years with adventure, from family trips to the Outer Banks and international travels to coaching his daughters’ soccer teams, dancing with them at the YMCA Daddy Daughter Dance, and sharing his love of quirky trivia, vocabulary, and the outdoors. His presence enriched the lives of all who knew him, and he will be deeply missed.