Obituary
Allene Joan Margolin Feldman Morris was a force of nature. She loved and hated passionately and forever. She was the biggest presence in any room-she never stopped moving and rarely stopped talking. She could, and did, talk with anyone, anywhere, at any time. She could extract more personal information in five minutes than the CIA could in days of interrogation-because she really was interested. Allene's calling was supporting the people in her life, with tireless organization, fearless and creative flair.
Allene was born November 21, 1937 to Evelyn and Ben Margolin, lived with younger brother Joe, and her immigrant grandmother while growing up, becoming a fluent Yiddish speaker in the process. Over the years she became the center that held a wide, extended, cantankerous family together. She grew up on the North Side of Chicago surrounded by this extended, working class family. She spent summers with her cousins fishing, swimming, fooling around at Grandma Margolin's "Stone Lodge" resort in South Haven, Michigan. Visiting South Haven, even long after the Lodge was sold, was like making the pilgrimage to Mecca. In the winters, she ice skated and dreamt of becoming the next Sonja Henie. Along the way, she met Jerry Feldman, a "dangerous" South Sider, and fell deeply in love. When he enlisted during the Korean War, sixteen year old Allene did not run away to Japan to marry him-but it was close. They did marry in 1957, and spent thirty-three years together of adventure, challenges, joy, and heartache. All of their children-Ken, Jamie and Stacy-- still live in awe of their parents' love for each other.
She graduated from Senn High School, did one year of college at University of Illinois at Navy Pier, but never graduated; there was no money and no example for her to follow. Housekeeping was never her life--she couldn't sew worth a damn, was an average cook and the house was passingly clean. People were her life's blood. Mom worked most of her life, at an amazing variety of jobs: switchboard operator, office work, eyeglass technician, insurance agent, and market research. Packages of sample test foods-proto-Hohos and Mini-Wheats-- filled the house, with family and friends her main test subjects. She had a long career as a manicurist, and she provided beautiful nails and talk therapy to all of her clients.
She loved music. She would sing Indian Love Call with Jerry, anything from Broadway musicals, and go to an Irish-rock concert with her daughter. She was up for anything, especially with her kids. More than anything, Allene loved to dance. Well into her 70's, would be out on the dance floor late into the in night at any opportunity. She loved the jitterbug, and those Latin rhythms. She may have been Carmen Miranda in another life.
Allene never shied from adventure. With her family, she camped across country, from the Gunflint Trail to Yellowstone Park. No trip was complete without fudge, fishing, boating, one mishap, an antique shop and innumerable photos. Later in life, she enjoyed cruising the islands, and wherever she went, she brought a little something back for everyone. Local tchotchke sellers have funded their retirements off Allene. Her joy was never complete unless she could share it with everyone.
Only as an adult, can we appreciate how strong she was. She lost her father before she was 30, her mother when she was at 51, and struggled with Jerry's long illness and death when she was 53. She had lost the love of her life, had to find a job and hated being alone. When Al Morris came into her life, she became bright and whole again. They married in 1995, and his children became her children.
Children and especially grandchildren meant everything to Mom. She was part of her grandchildren's lives practically from the moment they drew their first breath, and "Nonny" is the name she loved the best, I think. She would fight any beast, stare down any army, give anything to make their lives better. Her love is unconditional.
Mom had outlived two husbands and married a third. She has been the touchstone for all her cousins and their children, her husbands' children and countless friends over her long life. She has been the center, and no one can replace her. She died on March 26, 2022, after a long illness, her daughters at her side.
To anyone who knew her, know that friends became part of her family. She asked about you, worried about you, wanted to see you and know that you had wonderful and interesting lives. Live those lives for her so she doesn't worry.
We can carry her with us. She is unforgettable-her energy, her brightness, the passion she brought to her life. If we stay connected, her children and grandchildren, everyone that knew her-then she stays with us.
She is preceded in death by: her parents, Evelyn and Ben Margolin, her beloved brother, Joseph Margolin, her first husband Gerald Feldman and her second husband Alfred Morris. She is survived by her children Ken Feldman (spouse Gayle Gordon), Jamie Feldman (spouse Doug Hulick) and grandchildren Evan and Cameron Hulick, Stacy Fox (partner Mark Barrack) and grandchildren Jordan and Trevor Fox, great-grandchildren Roy and Briana; and her third husband. She is buried next to her beloved Jerry at Shalom Memorial Park, Arlington Heights, with practically everyone else in the family. If one visits late at night, expect sounds of cards games, noshing and general family bickering. Bring food.