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Dr Nancy E. Allen

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Dr Nancy E. Allen

Birth
Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA
Death
1 Mar 2023 (aged 85)
Ellensburg, Kittitas County, Washington, USA
Burial
Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA Add to Map
Plot
G 76
Memorial ID
View Source
Dr. Nancy E. Allen (Jurenka), PhD, 85, longtime Ellensburg resident and CWU Professor Emerita in Reading Education, passed away on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at the KVH Hospital in Ellensburg. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2023 at Grace Episcopal Church in Ellensburg.

Nancy Allen was known in her academic career as Dr. Nancy Jurenka, her former married surname. She was born on April 12, 1937 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the youngest of three daughters born to Alice (nee': Niece) & John Gerald "Jerry" Allen. She grew up in the small village of Scotland, Pennsylvania where she attended elementary school and then graduated from Chambersburg High School in 1954.

Nancy continued her post-secondary education at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1958. She went on to earn her Masters from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut in 1963 and her PhD in Education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in 1978.

Nancy's first teaching assignment was in Ridgefield, Connecticut from 1958 to 1966 before accepting a position in the summer of 1968 as the Curriculum Coordinator of the Title I Program in Las Vegas, Nevada. She continued as a classroom teacher in Las Vegas from 1967 to 1969 before moving to California where she worked as a classroom teacher and later a reading specialist for the El Rancho Unified School District from 1969 to 1974.

In 1975, Nancy moved to the midwest where she served as an instructor at Indiana University for one year before moving to Cleveland, Ohio where she was a research associate at the Educational Research Council of America. In 1981 she was appointed Chairperson of the Education Department at Chapman University where was also the Founder and Director of the Conference on Education at Chapman. She also served as an Associate Professor and Director of the International Reading and Learning Center/Thompson Reading Clinic with Chapman from 1978 to 1989.

Nancy's final move was to Ellensburg in 1989 when she joined the faculty at Central Washington University as a professor in the College of Education. She taught at CWU for 18 years before her retirement in 2007. Her specialty was in the area of, as she would say with a smile, "teaching teachers to teach reading". During the scope of her time with CWU she also authored several books on the topic of her academic specialty.

Nancy had an infectious personality, would light up the room and always looked on the bright side of things. She was recognized as a Master Gardener for many years, and was famous in the valley for her beautiful rose gardens and cherry trees at the "Book Nook Farm" on Manastash Road. In 2013, Nancy sold her home on Manastash and moved into town, residing at The Willows before moving to Pacifica Senior Living in August 2021.

Nancy adored her pets - mostly her cats but also her beloved blue heeler, Atticus, named after Atticus Finch from "To Kill a Mockingbird". In fact, all of her pets were somehow named after a legal character from great literary works. Nancy was also a longtime member of the Kittitas County Democrats and Democratic Women's Club.

Published by The Daily Record from Mar. 11 to Mar. 12, 2023. Her obituary does not state where her remains are interred. The grave marker photo was taken before her death.
Dr. Nancy E. Allen (Jurenka), PhD, 85, longtime Ellensburg resident and CWU Professor Emerita in Reading Education, passed away on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 at the KVH Hospital in Ellensburg. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, March 17, 2023 at Grace Episcopal Church in Ellensburg.

Nancy Allen was known in her academic career as Dr. Nancy Jurenka, her former married surname. She was born on April 12, 1937 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the youngest of three daughters born to Alice (nee': Niece) & John Gerald "Jerry" Allen. She grew up in the small village of Scotland, Pennsylvania where she attended elementary school and then graduated from Chambersburg High School in 1954.

Nancy continued her post-secondary education at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1958. She went on to earn her Masters from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut in 1963 and her PhD in Education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana in 1978.

Nancy's first teaching assignment was in Ridgefield, Connecticut from 1958 to 1966 before accepting a position in the summer of 1968 as the Curriculum Coordinator of the Title I Program in Las Vegas, Nevada. She continued as a classroom teacher in Las Vegas from 1967 to 1969 before moving to California where she worked as a classroom teacher and later a reading specialist for the El Rancho Unified School District from 1969 to 1974.

In 1975, Nancy moved to the midwest where she served as an instructor at Indiana University for one year before moving to Cleveland, Ohio where she was a research associate at the Educational Research Council of America. In 1981 she was appointed Chairperson of the Education Department at Chapman University where was also the Founder and Director of the Conference on Education at Chapman. She also served as an Associate Professor and Director of the International Reading and Learning Center/Thompson Reading Clinic with Chapman from 1978 to 1989.

Nancy's final move was to Ellensburg in 1989 when she joined the faculty at Central Washington University as a professor in the College of Education. She taught at CWU for 18 years before her retirement in 2007. Her specialty was in the area of, as she would say with a smile, "teaching teachers to teach reading". During the scope of her time with CWU she also authored several books on the topic of her academic specialty.

Nancy had an infectious personality, would light up the room and always looked on the bright side of things. She was recognized as a Master Gardener for many years, and was famous in the valley for her beautiful rose gardens and cherry trees at the "Book Nook Farm" on Manastash Road. In 2013, Nancy sold her home on Manastash and moved into town, residing at The Willows before moving to Pacifica Senior Living in August 2021.

Nancy adored her pets - mostly her cats but also her beloved blue heeler, Atticus, named after Atticus Finch from "To Kill a Mockingbird". In fact, all of her pets were somehow named after a legal character from great literary works. Nancy was also a longtime member of the Kittitas County Democrats and Democratic Women's Club.

Published by The Daily Record from Mar. 11 to Mar. 12, 2023. Her obituary does not state where her remains are interred. The grave marker photo was taken before her death.


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