In Memorium Allene Pistorius
Allene Pistorius grew up in California ’ s San Francisco Bay area . She fell in love with Germany first as a high school exchange student , and then during her university year abroad living in Göttingen , Germany . Allene graduated with a double major in German and education .
She joined the AWCH in 1977 while living in Halstenbek with her first husband and their two daughters , Anne and Maria , born in 1976 and 1977 , respectively . At that time , she led the AWCH children ’ s play group . Allene participated in an eight-member panel discussion together with Dr . Brandt , the International School Hamburg principal , and Brigitte Schult , a Fulbright exchange teacher teaching English at Bondenwald Gymnasium , as well as five club members . The panel ’ s topic was bilingualism , and the pros and cons of teaching one ’ s children German as well as other languages .
The family moved away from Hamburg , and Allene eventually settled in Buchholz , approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Hamburg , and then rejoined the AWCH . She was a dedicated teacher and , since her children were then older , she returned to teaching private conversation classes and adult education , as well as business English courses for Hamburg companies . Allene was an inspiration to her students , not only as a teacher but in many cases as a friend as well . She exposed them to English-speaking cultures by taking them to the English Theatre of Hamburg , to Thanksgiving dinners at the Marriott hotel , and on annual trips to Ireland .
Allene loved literature and was a prolific reader . During the club ’ s sixtieth anniversary celebrations in 2016 , she spoke about the many friendships she ’ d found within the club . She was the AWCH Hamburger Helper for Buchholz . Besides the AWCH , Allene was also a member of HELTA and the Professional Women ’ s Forum .
Allene ‘ s work as a liaison to club members diagnosed with cancer was her foremost contribution to AWCH . For many years , she was the Cancer Support Group ’ s chairperson and gave a speech on being a breast cancer survivor in 2002 . Allene recovered from her first bout of cancer years ago , but when the cancer returned , it was coupled with pneumonia ; she passed on March 20 , 2022 , three days before her seventy- fourth birthday .
Allene was always competent , kind , and friendly . She is survived by Dr . Thomas Pistorius , whom she married in September 1989 , and her two daughters . She was quite proud of Maria ’ s artistic accomplishments , often having new things to report . She visited her family in the US as often as she could , especially her brother , as well as daughter Anne and family , and she loved being a grandmother . Allene will be greatly missed . Anyone wishing to express their condolences should contact Becky Tan , Rebecca . tan @ t-online . de , for a link to Allene ’ s family .
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