Alison Nicole Roman

Alison Nicole Roman was born on February 17, 1974 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She passed away at the young age of 49 on May 15, 2023 in Thornton, Colorado. She is at peace now after a long struggle with cancer.

Alison exhibited her brilliance at the age of 5. She was skipped from kindergarten to first grade after finding out she read at a fourth grade level. Alison spent her childhood in gifted programs, and she never could handle getting a “B”. She moved to Colorado when she was 8 years old, where she started her musical career by learning to play the clarinet in elementary school. Then, upon getting a keyboard for Christmas, she taught herself how to play the piano. Her family never realized how beautifully she could sing until she was in junior high at Westlake Middle School. She attended Horizon High School in Thornton, where choir and musical performances were her joy. At the same time, her stellar grades ruined the curve in her other academic classes (as pointed out by her fellow classmates). She graduated as a co-valedictorian. Alison gained many lifelong friends who she loved dearly.

Alison attended the University of Northern Colorado, and continued her choral pursuits. She was in several performance groups, performed at the Greeley Jazz Festival every year, and graduated with honors and her teaching degree. She would later receive her Masters Degree in Music Education. Again, she made cherished lifelong friends. She then began her distinguished 25 year teaching career, retiring only when her health concerns demanded. She loved her students where she taught at Northglenn High School for 15 years, Meridian Elementary School for 6 years, and her own Westlake Middle School for 4 years. She was also privileged to sing in the outstanding community choir, Kantorei. She loved them all, and enjoyed two European tours with the group which included singing at the Vatican. She also performed with Kantorei at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Her family has been overwhelmed with messages from Alison’s friends, colleagues, and former students about the positive impact Alison had upon their lives. She was loved by so many.

Alison developed a love of traveling, and she had a goal of visiting all of America’s National Parks. She was well on her way toward achieving that goal, and she never stopped her travel planning. She had a pop-up camper, then later upgraded to her Airstream Bambi. Nothing was too good for her beloved canine travel companions, Ella, then Greta. Alison made an amazing journey to Banff and some of Canada’s nation parks last year, and she had all of her plans made to go back this fall.

Many of her numerous road trips were to come back to Indiana to be with her family. She was survived by her mother, Linda Chilcote, and her step-father, Randall Chilcote. Alison was also survived by her beloved brother Tom, who was the great love of her life, and her sisters, Courtney Corley (husband Matt, nephew Maxwell, niece Molly) and Whitney Geiger (husband Jason, nephew William, niece Evelynn, nephew Robert). She was also survived by beloved Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and their children who were great lights in her life. She was predeceased in death by her brother, Scott Chilcote. She was predeceased in death by her father, James Michael Roman, and survived by her step-mother, Carol Thurstin.

A Celebration of Life Concert is being planned in Colorado for July, and a Celebration of Life Picnic is being planned for Indiana family and friends also for July. Details will follow and be posted on Alison’s Facebook page. Memorial donations can be made to Kantorei, the newly named Alison Roman Memorial Scholarship, to sponsor a deserving choir student, at 3501 S. Colorado Blvd., Englewood, CO 80113, or at www.Kantorei.org when it is updated with the scholarship information. Memorial donations can also be made to Autism Speaks, an organization near and dear to Alison’s heart because of her brother. She was in a group of top fundraisers for their walk in Colorado several years in a row and gave a speech about Tom seen on the Jumbotron at a Coors Field walk. Their donation site is www.autismspeaks.org. There is also a new memorial scholarship being set up in Alison’s name through her beloved Northglenn High School. It will be for students graduating from Northglenn that have a passion for the performing arts. Details will follow.

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