Shirley Jean Allison

Shirley Jean Allison, 82, passed away peacefully at Century Oaks Assisted Living in Appleton on Feb. 10, 2017.

Shirley was born on Dec. 4, 1934, in Charles City to the late Melvin and Clara (Phillips) Fischer. Shirley was the second of four children: Audrey Warren, Olga Cross (deceased), and Elizabeth Sandy. Shirley married Max Allison in 1955, enjoying 59 years of marriage. From this union came two boys and two girls, of whom they were very proud.

Shirley was in for an adventure when she married Max, a pilot in the Air Force. Soon after marriage they were stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base near Columbus, Ohio. Later they were also stationed at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota and Hickam AFB in Hawaii. As an Air Force wife, she spent much of her early married life without Max as he was often on “alert” or on assignment for long stretches. The longest stretch was when Max was called to Vietnam for a year beginning in 1968.  It was at this time the family moved from Hawaii to La Crosse, Wis. There was definitely second guessing as to whether that was a good idea after the first winter in Wisconsin. Shirley was the consummate mother to her four kids and often raised them alone. She was a great cook, could kiss a knee like nobody else, and, more often than not, was a mother to her children’s friends.  Shirley enjoyed a very social life. She was a member of the Officers’ Wives Club and bridge club; she was a Cub Scout Den leader and a Brownie leader. Shirley was a member of the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship where she and Max regularly attended. She relished talking with friends around her table, smoking cigarettes and drinking a beer. All the kids and their friends were welcome to join the conversation to help solve the world’s problems. It was the welcoming table her friends and family will most remember. Holidays or regular days, there was always time for conversation. No subject was off-limits, and for this, Max and Shirley’s children thank them for introducing the art and skill of critical thinking. While they didn’t all agree on things, everyone got a say and was pressed for backing up their assertions and opinions. And from this came the humor. There definitely was a lot of laughing going on.

Shirley often worked in addition to being a mother; she was a bookkeeper who held many positions in La Crosse and Appleton, most notably at Appleton Memorial Hospital and Appleton Area Credit Union. She was liked and respected by her colleagues and friends. An avid reader, she absolutely enjoyed a good mystery, but her real passion was English history.  She very much enjoyed being a grandmother. A devoted grandmother, each grandchild at one time or another made pie or played cards with her.

Shirley is survived by her children, Joseph R. (Julianne) Allison of Callaway Md.; Michael J. (Cathy) Allison of Onalaska, Wis.; Keena Allison of Neenah, Wis.; and Lenai (Allison) Hellweg (Randall Funk) of Appleton. Shirley is also survived by eight grandchildren and a great-grandson.

A memorial service and burial will take place on April 22, 2017 at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, Wis.

The family wishes to thank all of the staff at Century Oaks for their caring time and attention they gave Shirley as she suffered from Lewy Body Dementia.