Obituary of Terri A. Allen

On April 11, 2025, Terri Anne Allen, our cherished family first soul was taken from us so suddenly and far too soon at only 64 years old.  Beginning the next generation of our family on December 9, 1960 she always had big shoes to fill and knew that her role as the oldest was a major responsibility which molded her morals, strength, tough exterior, and service to others her entire life.

Terri grew up on the West Side of Syracuse. Hayden Ave was a wonderland for them growing up. She was a West Side Catholic Student and finished her High School years at Fowler (class of 78’).

She thoroughly enjoyed and took pride in her college classes and education as well as her athletic ability. After her certification at SUNY Upstate and becoming a paramedic, she continued her education with additional classes at OCC and also at Empire State College. Before and after starting her career she was a fantastic goalie on several hockey teams and leagues and made some lifetime friends while doing so.

During her career as a distinguished paramedic she worked for numerous agencies such as Rural Metro, Dryden, Sovac ambulance, WAVES, and CNYEMS to name a few and often volunteered in her off time and became a regular instructor all over the departments and city training and teaching others lifesaving CPR courses!

She was the one who would offer a calming attentive look at any injury in the family being as it takes a special type of skill and genius and care for others to be a paramedic and not allow emotion to endanger the ones you’re trying to help.

Her beloved dogs were her children, and they were her constant companions throughout her life. The thought of her being reunited with them in heaven brings so much comfort in the happiness it would bring her to see them again.

Terri is predeceased by her father, Richard “Dick” Allen. She leaves behind her mother, Agatha “Louise, Lu/Lu” Allen, her two brothers Carl Allen(Marybeth) and Richard “Richie” Allen, her sister Kelly Askari (Issam) , all her nieces and nephews that she loved and protected fiercely (Jessica -Jamie, Cameron) ( Richie, Zen) (Tarek, Diah, and Sereen) , and all of our amazing large family and friends that extends far beyond our family tree. We will miss her forever. 

   Losing someone so significant and central to the family so unexpectedly rearranges reality. The heartbreak is so unbearable that you tend to question if you’re dreaming. Our parents and siblings, the constants in our life, are the very fabric of who we are and are woven to us through memories, moments and milestones and in an instant they can be taken away before not only finishing their story but being a part of ours. The mundane and trivial parts of life are so quick to overtake our everyday thoughts and it shouldn’t take such a crippling loss to remind us of what truly only matters in life. Human connection has changed almost completely over the last twenty years and every relationship contributes to who we become in a family and it would just be a wonderful thing if we started making it a priority to tell one another how much those memories of growing up meant to us and not having the pain of praying they knew when it’s too late!

The family will receive friends and relatives on Monday April 21, 2025 from 11am-1pm at the Edward J. Ryan & Son Funeral Home. A funeral Service will be held at 1pm immediately following the calling hours at the funeral home. Burial in Greenlawn Cemetery.