Teresa J. Allen

Teresa Jean "Terri" Allen, passed away Friday, April 11, 2025 at age 70. Teresa was born in the state of Washington on July 20, 1954 to Richard and Barbara Peekema. She is the loving mother of Linda (Lon Hohberger) Allen, Crystal Allen (Jagath) Gunasekera, and Michelle Allen; dearest grandmother of Asher Gunasekera and Aiden Gunasekera; beloved sister of Thomas "Tom" (Stacy Peterson) Peekema and William "Bill" Peekema; dear aunt of Andrew (Kathryn) Peekema, Megan Peekema, Nicholas (Stephanie) Bodnaruk, and Ethan (Elisabeth) Bodnaruk. Teresa was preceded in death by her mother, Barbara Peekema, and she is also survived by her former husband and father of her children, Roger Allen, and Ethan and Nicholas' father, Peter Bodnaruk. Much of Teresa’s childhood was focused around the family fruit and nut ranch in Gridley, CA. Her mother Barbara would drive across the country from New York to California during the summers with Terri and her siblings in tow, so that they could all help out for the season. Later, Terri helped with the administration and finances of the ranch. Fresh peaches, kiwis, and persimmons grown on the ranch and shipped across the country with care were a reminder of that connection, and always tasted the sweetest. As time passed, cross country drives were phased out for occasional flights from one coast to the other, and as Terri’s children grew older, Barbara invited her extended family on several group trips around the world. After high school, Terri attended Cornell University and graduated with a Bachelor's in Fine Arts. She did not prioritize her professional career, though she illustrated a book of poetry titled “The Garden of Eloquence”. Instead, she focused primarily on raising her three children, supporting her husband's business, and doing a variety of volunteer work in the community. Her artistic talent continued to show throughout her life in the sand and snow sculptures she made with her daughters and the yearly Christmas cards she created featuring her own artwork. Terri dedicated tremendous care and effort to her passions. An early love of horses was supported by a childhood pony and, eventually, when all three daughters followed in her footsteps, a Morgan gelding, Cocoa, joined the family. Never without a cat in the household, Terri also helped the local shelter to rehome an assortment of cats across the years. A passion for science fiction and fantasy books transformed into years of paid and volunteer work at the local libraries. An interest in stamp collecting led to a decades long hobby, serving as the secretary of the Dover Stamp Club and running the Little Lick Children's Stamp Club. A lifelong Christian Scientist, she also volunteered regularly at her church and served for some years as the Delaware Committee on Publication, advocating for the values she believed in. Always focused on how she could help others the most, when her grandsons were born, Terri moved across the country from Delaware to St. Louis to help care for them and bring her love of animals, reading, and art into their lives as well. Terri never hesitated to do everything she could to brighten the days and lives of those around her. She was dearly loved, and will be sorely missed. Please gather and connect with the family at the informal Celebration of Life for Terri Allen, to be held on May 3rd from 10 am to noon at Chapel Hill Mortuary in St. Louis, MO.

Teresa J. Allen

July 20, 1954 - April 11, 2025