Nancy Allen

Nancy Forsyth Allen, 76, passed away on January 29, 2023. Nancy was born in Indianapolis, IN on November 30, 1946 to the late William H. and Ellen McFadden Forsyth. She was also preceded in death by her loving husband John. Nancy attended P.S. 84 and graduated in 1964 from Broad Ripple High School. She attended Indiana University where she received both her BA and Master’s degrees in Education; she went on to teach for 27 years in elementary education. Nancy found her first teaching position in St. Louis while simultaneously finishing her master’s degree. She then moved to Indianapolis where she taught in Washington Twp. at Spring Mill and Greenbriar Elementary Schools. Nancy continued her teaching career in Hamilton Southeastern at New Britton Elementary and Sand Creek Elementary. This is where she retired in 2009. Miss Forsyth a.k.a. Mrs. Allen touched many children’s lives with her enthusiasm and knowledge.

Nancy’s greatest joys in life were her sons and her grandkids who called her Nanny, Nanny Bird, and Nan to name a few! And let’s not forget her seven Golden Retrievers! Her energy was contagious. She was always planning fun activities for her “grand birds” from tea parties, cooking classes, cousins’ camps, summer trips to Michigan and endless amounts of boat rides and sunsets from her boat that filled her bucket. The lake was her Happy Place where she could relax, but she was also fearless behind the boat: tubing, skiing, slaloming and only one time did she end up with a torn ACL! Gardening was a passion of Nancy’s; she had the greenest thumb in the city. She loved making bouquets from her gardens and surprising neighbors, friends, and family with beautiful arrangements. She passed on her love for gardening to so many in her life. She was loving, kind and faithful.

Nancy was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority at Indiana University, was involved with the Junior League of Indianapolis, Meridian Hills Cooperative Nursery School, and was co-chairman of the Haunted House at the Children’s Museum where she was a member of the Guild. She also volunteered at the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital where she planned activities for the children.

Family and friends will gather on Saturday, February 18, 2023, from 10 a.m. until noon at Geist Christian Church Mud Creek Campus, 8550 Mud Creek Road in Indianapolis. The memorial service will follow at noon. Private family inurnment will take place at Crown Hill Cemetery after the service.

Those left to cherish her memory include her sons Andrew and his wife Kristin, Matthew and his wife Molly, five grandchildren Olivia (15), Madeline (13), Blake (11), Bennett (9) and Charlotte (6). Also surviving are her sister Charlotte Forsyth Whitt, her sister-in-law Mary Allen, two nieces Brenda Osborne and Beverly Gerst, and three nephews Bill Whitt, Tom Maxwell and Brad Bartle.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Random Acts of Flowers Indianapolis (rafindy.org) a non-profit organization that delivers beautiful recycled bouquets of flowers to those struggling with illness, emotional health, and well-being located at 1057 E. 54th Street, Suite F, Indianapolis, IN 46220. Another love of Nancy’s is ICAN (www.icandog.org), a non-profit that provides children and adults living with a disability greater independence by partnering them with a service dog located at 5100 Charles Court, Suite 100, Zionsville, IN 46077.