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- Plattsburgh Press-Republican, July 3, 2010
Margaret “Peg” Allen
PLATTSBURGH — Margaret "Peg" Allen, 93, passed gently away in the comfort of her home with loved ones by her side June 30 in the evening. Peg was born Margaret Jessie Bessette, Dec. 24, 1916, in the small and beautiful town of Orwell, Vt. She was the youngest of five children of Lewis Napoleon Bessette and Julia Thomas Bessette. In 1922, the Bessette family moved to Rutland, Vt. There, Peg taught herself to ski by climbing the hill in her backyard and skiing down, again and again. Her father, a bookkeeper, died from typhoid fever when she was in the fifth grade; thus Peg's sister, Marion and brother, Earl, became the family providers. With their support and gaining a full scholarship by graduating from Rutland High School as class salutatorian, Peg attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y. There she participated in every sport available to women. In skiing she was third in the Middlebury Alpine Combined; she also competed with the men's team against Clarkson College and was awarded "The Most Active Girl in Winter Sports" in 1937. She was also a four-year varsity field hockey player and a member of the Board of Athletic Control for three years, playing basketball, volleyball and tennis. In 1996, she was inducted in St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame. She tackled her studies with equal enthusiasm, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1939 with a major in mathematics. However, Peg met her match in a law and government class, when Fuller Allen of Plattsburgh approached her to show off his score on a recent test. Although she bested him by five points, a romance ensued. They were married in 1943 in the backyard of the Bessette house. Thanks to wartime gasoline rationing and their mutual love of the outdoors, Peg and Fuller's honeymoon was a bicycle trip from Rutland to Plattsburgh. Fuller was a partner in the Allen and Allen Law firm on Brinkerhoff Street, while Peg taught high school math in Peru, N.Y. Before the war, women who were married were not allowed to hold teaching jobs. Peg, however, not only taught, but continued to do so while visibly pregnant with their first child. In the 1950s, Peg was a den mother for the Cub Scouts, a scorekeeper for her sons' Little League games, a member of the Methodists Mr. and Mrs. Club and later president and then treasurer, of the United Methodist Women. Peg remained active and fit her entire life. She and Fuller loved camping with family, tennis and skiing. They also enjoyed activities with their friends, particularly Marilyn and Chet Bosworth. She was 86 when she last skied. Peg swam year-round, walking to the 'Y' in all kinds of weather. She also volunteered at the YMCA, assisting people with disabilities. In 1966, with most of her children grown, Peg returned to school and earned a degree from SUNY Plattsburgh in counseling. She worked first at St. Mary's Academy in Champlain, then for 20 years at Beekmantown Central as a high school guidance counselor, retiring in 1986. Peg is survived by her four sons: Thomas Allen and his wife, Carole of Arlington, Mass., Richard Allen and his wife, Lucille of Essex Junction, Vt., Lawrence Allen of Beekmantown, Arthur Allen and his wife, Renee of Clinton, Conn., and Carol Jean Allen of Plattsburgh. Peg also leaves seven grandchildren: David Allen and his spouse, Michael McGrann of West Orange, N.J., Abigail Richey-Allen and her spouse, Anna Richey-Allen of Minneapolis, Minn., Elizabeth Allen of Cambridge, Mass., Jill Allen of South Burlington, Vt., Daniel Allen of Vancouver, Wash., Morgan Allen and Samuel Allen of Clinton, Conn. She also leaves one great-grandson, Theo Allen McGrann. Peg was a beloved aunt to her nieces and nephews. Peg was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2000. For the rest of her life, she remained the sweet, delightful mother and friend she always was. The Allen family would like to thank the devoted, nurturing people of the Caregivers Respite Program, Hospice of the North Country, Third Age Program and the United Methodist Church. We would also like to extend our thanks to our neighbors on Morrison Avenue and Marilyn Symonds and Sally Trombley for their assistance to Carol Jean in the care of our mother in her declining years. Visiting hours will be 4 to 7 p.m. at R.W. Walker Funeral Home at 69 Court St. Monday, July 5. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, July 6, at 11 a.m. at the United Methodist Church, 127 Beekman St., in Plattsburgh. Online tributes to Peg may be left at www.rwwalkerfh.com and donations in her memory may be made to Hospice of the North Country, 258 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
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Bassett Family Association Database
1916 - 2010 (93 years)