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Father who drowned while trying to save son was a high school teacher

"His impact on kids was something that went deep within the students who he worked with."

The Fort Collins father who drowned in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday trying to rescue his son, who remains missing, was a Fossil Ridge High School teacher, school district officials confirmed Friday.

U.S. Coast Guard crews located Robert Joseph Allen, 50, after his wife called 911. Seventeen year-old Samuel Vicente Allen could not be located and is presumed dead. Coast Guard officials said they made the hard decision to suspend the search Thursday.

More: Search suspended for teen swept out to sea on Oregon Coast

A father and teacher, Joe Allen had taught 10 years at Fossil Ridge High School. He worked as the Alternative Cooperative Education coordinator at the school, teaching vocational and transitional skills to students with educational disabilities.

The school opened its doors to students Friday morning to provide counseling and support for Allen's students and others at the school who knew him. School employees also collected notes and cards for the Allen family. Anyone who needs additional support is encouraged to call the school for assistance at 970-488-6262.

Fossil Ridge High School Principal Julie Chaplain called Allen an "amazing, amazing man" and said she will always remember his smile.

"I'll remember how welcoming and genuine he was with every person. ... He was just a kind soul, and anybody who interacted with him, you were a better person for knowing him and he brightened your day," she said.

Allen took his role seriously. He was constantly applying for grants for his students, helping them set up businesses, from a coffee and breakfast cart at the school to concession stands at baseball games to a geranium sales business. He worked with students at Fossil Ridge and others in the district and would help alumni with job preparation.

The 2018 senior class gift was money for the ACE program to purchase a new cappuccino machine for the coffee cart that students and teachers frequented daily.

"I think he touched the hearts of all our staff members, I know," Chaplain said. "His impact on kids was something that went deep within the students who he worked with."

Chaplain is sure that he is the reason many students stayed in school despite their challenges, then graduated and succeeded.

Lana Fain, media specialist at Fossil Ridge High School, said she worked with Allen at the school and lived near his family.

She called Allen generous and easygoing and said he would often give her a ride to school when her car was in the shop.

He was just as kind at school, she said, volunteering the use of his classroom for Fain's ukulele club when the group didn't have anywhere else to go.

"He had a big heart," she said.

The school district does not have any vigils planned, as school is out for the summer, but some parents have been discussing setting up an event with family members of Allen's when possible.

Poudre School District confirmed Thursday that Samuel Allen was a student at Rocky Mountain High School.

Reporter Saja Hindi covers public safety, courts and accountability. Follow her on Twitter @BySajaHindi or email her at shindi@coloradoan.com.

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