Annette M Allen

Annette Marie Allen passed away from metastatic melanoma on January 12, 2018 surrounded by family and friends. Annette was born on July 27, 1967 to Curtis and Pamela Allen in Bremerton, Washington. She graduated from Bremerton High School in 1985, from Washington State University in 1989 with a BA in education and from City University in 1993 with a Master of Education degree. She was a teacher in the Central Kitsap School District for over 26 years.

Annette was very involved at Bremerton High School, playing volleyball and basketball, ASB Vice President and as a member of the drill team, of which she was the Captain her senior year. She loved attending WSU, where she discovered her calling to be an educator. After graduating, she was a substitute teacher for two years before having her own classroom of 2nd graders at Clear Creek Elementary School in the Central Kitsap School District. She then transferred to Cottonwood Elementary school in 1996 to teach 1st grade where she has taught ever since.

"Miss Allen" was very dedicated to each and every student. Her classrooms were renowned by colleagues for their consistent structure and exceptional instruction. Her fellow teachers called her the "child whisperer." She could figure out each child and found a way to get through to them. She had a gift that inspired kids to want to learn. Annette was respected as an educator and was selected to mentor new teachers. "Miss Allen" always remembered her students and former students when she would meet them in places outside of school, and was pleased to visit with them. She cared for students so much!

For over 23 years, Annette and Amy Sudbeck were teaching partners. They worked so closely together in planning for their respective classes that colleagues referred to them as one. If you saw one, the other one could be found nearby. They literally could finish each other's sentences and knew what the other was thinking, it seemed.

Annette was very involved in the Central Kitsap Education Association and was part of the Executive Board. She was very mindful of issues that could improve education and the teaching profession. She was the building representative from Cottonwood and the liaison from other schools in the District to the Association to share concerns of the teachers and help improve the environment in which student learn. She was the Chair of the Social Committee for the Association and planned the celebrations to honor the many accomplishments of teachers as well as being the social chair at Cottonwood for many years.

Annette was an avid WSU Cougar fan! She loved anything and everything about the Cougars. One of her favorite trips was the 1998 Rose Bowl despite WSU losing. She was never happier than when the Cougars won the Apple Cup! She loved having her WSU license plate and everyone could recognize her car with the WSU 0022 plates.

Annette was an expert at planning events – events at school, wedding receptions, birthday parties, anniversary parties, baby showers and wedding showers. Her attention to detail was amazing. If there was an event, you could rely on Annette for help, or her opinion in the best way to organize and plan the event.

Annette loved anything WSU, scrapbooking, shopping, traveling, all things Disney, country music, dancing, and watching "The Young and the Restless." Thursday nights you could find her out to dinner with her co-teacher, Amy, and her parents. Her travels included several trips to Europe, a trip to New

Zealand and Australia, a Panama Canal cruise, Mexico, Hawaii, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New Orleans and one of her favorite trips to Nashville. She loved trips to Packwood, Washington with all of the family for a week of fun, the Alaska cruise for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary, summer trips to Boise to enjoy rodeos and the Idaho Shakespeare festival, birthdays, and holidays. She enjoyed Saturdays scrapbooking and evenings and weekends shopping.

Another passion that Annette held dear was her relationship with her nieces and nephews: Nomellini's Michael, Maria, Joseph, Samuel, Anne, and Elizabeth; Janicki's Anthony, Nicholas, Matthew, and Andrew; and Allen's Benjamin, Madeline, and Olivia. She always wanted to make sure their experience at Christmas and their respective birthdays were the best they could possibly be. She prided herself on it! Annette always took it upon herself to connect with each of them before Christmases and birthdays to learn what they wanted and then insisted on doing all the shopping to ensure each gift was exactly what that niece or nephew wanted. Annette, with Suzanne, would also take the kids in groups of two or three to Disneyland when they were old enough. She planned the entire trip and would keep the kids in the dark until she and Suzanne would arrive at their door one morning to pick them up and whisk them away to the happiest place on earth where they would spend an entire week experiencing everything they could.

She was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents. She is survived by her parents, Curtis and Pamela Allen; sisters, Stephanie Nomellini (John); Suzanne Allen; and Angela Janicki (Tom); and her brother, Paul Allen (Robin); five nieces and eight nephews; uncle William LeTourneau; aunt and uncle Kathy and Patrick LeTourneau; cousins Meredith LeTourneau and Corinne LeTourneau and their families; numerous aunts, uncles and cousins in Texas; her dear friend and teaching partner, Amy Sudbeck, and many, many other friends who all loved her dearly.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, January 19, 2018 at Camerman Hall in the basement of Our Lady Star of the Sea church from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Please wear WSU clothing in honor of Annette. The funeral will be on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at Our Lady Star of the Sea church: rosary beginning at 10:00am, and funeral mass at 10:30am. Graveside Service at Miller-Woodlawn Memorial Park immediately following the funeral mass.

In honor of Annette, we have set up the Annette M. Allen Endowed Scholarship Fund in the School of Education at Washington State University. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a donation, you can go to this link:
https://foundation.wsu.edu/give/?fund=5878e4a2-2aad-4ede-85a6-01e5cb12722c&utm_source-annette-m-allen-endowed-scholarships&utm_medium=wsu-link&utm_campaign=education
Or you can mail a check to WSU College of Education – Attn: Andrea Farmer, P.O. Box 642114, Pullman WA 99164-2114 and include on the check that it is for the Annette M. Allen Endowed Scholarship Fund.