Cheryl R. Allen

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 2:19 pm

Cheryl R. Allen, 70, of Decorah, and formerly of Madison, Wis., died Saturday evening, Feb. 21, 2015, at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wis. Memorial services are at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Visitation begins Sunday at 1 p.m., one hour before services, at the church. Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah is serving the family.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Jo Winkie for watching the house and taking care of Cheryl’s pets.   

Cheryl Renee Allen was born Feb. 23, 1944, in Decorah, the daughter of Robert W. and Opal C. (Jones) Allen. She was baptized at Ossian Lutheran Church and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Decorah. She graduated from Decorah High School with the class of 1962. Cheryl then moved to Madison, Wis., where she started working and getting a degree in nursing. She attended Madison Area Technical College and received her degree as a licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.) in 1972. Cheryl worked for many years at Madison General Hospital. Over the years she took classes at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and received her B.S. degree in nursing, to become a registered nurse (R.N.) in 1982. Later she became an orthopedic nurse. She then helped form the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses, and also served as the national president of the organization for one term. Cheryl then worked at the Bone and Joint Orthopedic Office in Madison and later at Care Wisconsin, a nonprofit managed care organization that matches frail seniors and people with physical and intellectual disabilities to the health care and long-term care supports and services they need. She retired in 2010 and moved back to Decorah.
Her family is very proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She received all of her schooling, while also having a full time job, doing it all on her own, with great determination.

Cheryl was a long time member of Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, where she was a Sunday school teacher and also very active in the Blessings Circle. She was a Girl Scout leader, loved pets and also loved to travel. She went to Door County, Wis. many times, Norway, all over the United States, on an Alaskan cruise and to Cozumel, Mexico on many family trips. She was a certified scuba diver, loved camping, swimming and tubing on the Upper Iowa River. Her family was very important to her and she loved all of her nieces and nephews. 

Cheryl is survived by two sisters, Dianne Allen and Lynne (Bruce) Meyer, and one brother, Randall Allen, all of Decorah; five nieces and nephews, and their children: Tami (Andrew) Claybaugh, and Allison and Kyle, Dawn (Travis) Hughes, and Mackenzie, Benjamin (Emily) Meyer, and Mason and Raina, Reed
(Holly) Allen, and Wyatt and Miles, and Jillian Allen (Jonathon) Brenner; one aunt, Ann Allen of Moline, Ill.; and her long time friend, Beverly Stephen of Madison, Wis.

Online condolences may be made at fjelstul.com.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert in 1973 and Opal in 2007, and her sister-in-law, Penelope Allen in 2013.