Monday, May 20, 2019
I’m back again; I couldn’t leave this remembrance page with such a sterile biography
of Allison’s life. While I only shared two years with her, the vibrancy of her creative mind,
the simple joy she got from driving her convertible and listening to music and chuckling
with the universe were a joy to behold. I don’t know much about Ally’s high
school life in Boonton but she was a quiet enigma in College with an air of mystery cloaked in
shyness. Both men and women found Ally mysterious and beguiling and were often pleased to
hear her sharp wit under a demurring smile. A graduate of William Paterson University Ally didn’t
engage easily into the world. She found protection and engagement in civil service, probably Shepard into the role by “Big Al”, her dad. While my life moved on after we ended our college
relationship she was always in my thoughts and musings with those that also knew her. We all understood that she struggled with her thoughts and to control whatever inner battles she fought.
I don’t know how successfully she overcame those challenges but the last time I spoke to her she
told me she liked working around the children, that it made her smile... I’m glad that’s the last thing
she said to me. It made me smile. Rest gently Ally.
