Dearest mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

Allene was born in Lisbon, Texas, to Martha and Charles Lee Cox. Her parents chose to use her middle name Allene because her mother was also Martha.

Allene’s parents moved to Chicago in 1930, as her father was a newspaper man. Allene graduated from Amundsen High School in Chicago in 1945. She married Alan Oliver Nelson on December 18, 1948. In 1952, her first child, Alana Lee was born. Then, in 1953 her second child, Dale Alan was born. Alan’s father, Axel Oliver Nelson, owned a summer house in Lake Villa where they moved in 1955 and converted to a year-round residence. Allene had two more children, Charles Oliver was born in 1961 at home, delivered by Alan. Charles was born with mental disability. Allene’s ‘last child’, as she would often joke, Bruce Arthur, was born in 1963.

Allene became a teacher’s aide and worked for the Special Education District of Lake County for over 20 years. Together with her husband, Alan, Allene and her family served the community of Lake Villa through volunteering with the Lake Villa Fire Department, the VFW, and the Special Olympics of Lake County. She volunteered at the Lake Villa Historical Society and Great Lakes Naval Base as well. She was also an active member of the Antioch Women’s Club, the Women’s Club of Illinois, and the Red Hat Society. She was a very active reader and yearly received awards from the Illinois Secretary of State Epsilon Sigma Omicron Book Readers Club.

The things Allene will be most remembered for is her positive disposition and kind and generous spirit. We are comforted by the fact that Allene is in heaven with her Savior. She will be missed by many.

Survivors include her daughter, Alana ( John) Piniotes; sons, Charles Nelson, Bruce (April) Nelson; her daughter-in-law, Rita Nelson; grandsons, Joshua (Jill) Piniotes, and Jason Pappas; granddaughters, Annette Nelson and Abigail (Lawrence) Fieber; great-grandchildren, Alexis Piniotes, Miles Piniotes, Dominic Espino, Samuel Piniotes, Mateo Espino, Nico Piniotes, and Maci Piiniotes. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alan Nelson; son, Dale Nelson; and grandson, James Micah Piniotes.

Services to be held at Ringa Funeral Home, 122 S. Milwaukee Avenue, Lake Villa, IL 60046.

*All obituaries are submitted by family and friends of the deceased.

Please enter the amount you would like to give and click continue.