Mom was born August 1st, 1931 in Middletown, N.Y. to parents Judson and Florence Allen. She was the 7th of 9 siblings, 2 of whom passed away as small children. She was raised in Carbondale, Pennsylvania during the depression. Her mother passed away when she was 5. Her oldest sister, Edith, just 15 years old at the time, quit school to help raise the kids and, having sacrificed her education, made all her siblings promise to get their diplomas and hang them up in the house on the library wall. She had a profound influence on Mom. Times were tough but the family managed to stay together.
As a teenager, Mom worked at a textile mill in order to pay her own way into nursing school in Scranton, Pennsylvania. On March 14, 1954 she married Kenneth Cummings, a new member of the United States Air Force, and they soon had their first child, Kenneth Elwyn, Jr. While juggling young motherhood and school, she managed to graduate and became a licensed registered nurse in 1958. Her 2nd son, Mark Allen, was born later that year. Their 3rd child, Joseph Daniel, was born in 1960. Eighteen months later, they welcomed their last child, Sharon Rosemary. With us kids in tow, she followed Dad around the world as part of an Air Force family, and practiced as a nurse in New York, Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Illinois, and Nevada. We also spent 2 years at Clark Air Force Base in Angeles City, Philippines before eventually settling in Las Vegas in 1972.
Mom had an indomitable spirit when it came to traveling. One year, she, Joseph, and 15-year-old Sharon set out on a month-long drive across America in their overloaded AMC Hornet. She was on a mission to see all of her relatives. We made it as far as Kingman, Arizona on the first day before the car’s rear suspension failed and had to be repaired in a roadside garage. We carried on, managing to make it to Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and beyond. The family has many fond memories of those trips to see relatives. While working full time as a nurse, Mom always found time to take care of her kids and put family first.
Entering retirement, she continued to enjoy traveling with the Senior Tripsters and with family. Mom also loved playing bingo regularly with her neighbors. Although she endured numerous health challenges, she refused to burden her children and lived on her own until she was 90 years old, eventually moving to an assisted living community. After suffering a serious fall, she battled for 2 months before multiple complications became too much for her and she passed away on July 4th. She is survived by her youngest sister, Barbara, 4 children, 6 grandchildren, and 11 great grandchildren. Her passing was preceded by her sisters Edith, Florence and Betty, and her brothers Frank, James, Bob and Leon.
We love you so much, Mom! No words can describe how much we miss you. May you Rest in Peace.
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