Bruce James Allen, 69, of Carthage, died Saturday, April 18, 2009, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst.

A graveside service will take place noon Tuesday, May 12, at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, with military honors, conducted by Pastor Scott Homesley.

He was a born in Brooklyn, N.Y,. to the late James Allen and Selma Allen. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and in 1985, retired as a police officer from the Nassau County Police Department in New York. He was a member of the Independence Lodge No. 10 in Orwell, Vt., and was a past member of the Cairo Shriners in Rutland, Vt. He was also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. In 2005 he and his wife, Virginia, moved to Moore County and settled in Carthage.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia M. Allen; daughter, Christine Steingraber and husband, Todd, of Carthage; brother, George Allen, of New Castle, Neb.; two grandchildren, Eric and Kirsten Steingraber.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Independence Lodge No. 10, Scholarship Fund, 467 Main Street, Orwell, VT 05760, or to FirstHealth Hospice Foundation, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374.

Fry and Prickett Funeral Home is assisting the Allen family.

Condolences: www.FryAndPrickett.com.