By Starla Pointer • Staff Writer • 

Dentist and vintner Allen Methven dies at age 74

News-Register file photo##Allen Methven pours wine for guests during an hors d’oeuvres reception in the Methven Family Vineyards tasting room in 2012. Methven died Monday, March 14.
News-Register file photo##Allen Methven pours wine for guests during an hors d’oeuvres reception in the Methven Family Vineyards tasting room in 2012. Methven died Monday, March 14.

 

Allen Methven, patriarch of Methven Family Vineyards near Dayton and a longtime dentist, died Monday, March 14. He was 74.

A celebration of life is being planned for June.

“Allen has always had a way of gathering people together,” winery employees said in an email to friends and customers. “His affection and sincere care for anyone he encountered has long been renowned and will be greatly missed.”

Methven and his wife, Jill, planted chardonnay, Pinot noir and gris, gamay and riesling grapes near their home in the Eola Hills in 2002.

“We are in an area that grows the most beautiful wine in the world and we wanted to be a part of it,” he told the News-Register last year.

He said they made sure their land is salmon safe and Live Certified so they can leave it in good shape for the next generation.

Methven was born Sept. 29, 1947, in Renton, Wash., a fraternal twin.

He served in the Air Force and the Army during the Vietnam era. After working as a military dental hygienist, he put himself through dental school.

He was a dentist in Michigan when he met his future wife, a business consultant. She said she initially said “no” when he asked her out. But he persisted; she relented; and after a few dates, he moved to Oregon and they married.

He opened a practice in Dundee, one of about 17 offices he had started over the years. He retired from dentistry last year.

Methven was well-loved by employees, in both his dental practice and the winery, his wife said.

Heidi Moreland, general manager at the winery, called him “the kindest, most gentle man” with a great sense of humor.

“He was a storyteller,” Moreland said. “He could spin a tale in a way that made you want to keep listening.”

She and Jill Methven said he was loved by everyone he met, as well, she said. When the family announced his death this week, condolences poured in from Michigan and other parts of the country, including Hawaii, where the Methvens often spent their winters.

Over the years, he was involved in many community and wine industry organizations. He traveled to Guatemala several times with Rotary groups to help with dental clinics, mentoring dental students on those trips, as well.

Jill Methven said her husband was “one of a kind” who positively impacted many lives, including those of their blended family. “He was an unpretentious, humble soul,” she said, and “a brilliant man” who loved playing host at parties.

In addition to spending time in his vineyards, he planted 600 blueberry plants and kept bees. He loved being in the woods, fishing, hunting and traveling.

Although he was ill, last year he made his annual moose hunting trip to Nova Scotia with friends, along with other trips on his “bucket list,” his wife said.

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