Maureen Allwood Obituary, Death – A good friend and pioneer, another one gone from Oak Park High School. On Monday night, my beloved Jamaican sister, Dr. Maureen Allwood, departed from us. This loss has devastated me tremendously.
Maureen has always been one of those 1982 class of silent trailblazers. We will miss her devotion to criminal justice at John Jay College as well as her affection for her family and friends. May God keep her family safe while they travel this extremely challenging path without her.
The best thing that can be said is that Maureen made my Uncle Ray’s life happy as did Dawn Marie and Todd. For me it was her award winning Irish Soda Bread which was often eaten in the car on the way home. She said it was for “special” people! Her memory will bring a smile.
Absent from the body and present with the Lord! My most heartfelt condolences to the family. Maureen was a pleasure to converse with. We were able to find that we have common ancestors in the Gorham family line thanks to her interest in genealogy. I’m sending you all my prayers. We shall miss her.
Maureen worked as an administrative assistant for Kangaroo Electrical in Clifton for two different employers. She left the company in 2011 and came back in 2017, staying until her retirement in 2022. She spent more than 16 years working at Kangaroo combined.
Maureen leaves behind her husband of almost 50 years, Raymond; her daughter Dawnmarie Riegle of Queen Creek, AZ; her son Todd Wesner of Clifton; her three sisters, Margaret O’Connell of Linthicum Heights, MD, Pamela DeGraffenreid of El Cajon, CA, and Mary Sylvestri of Sussex, and her brother James O’Connell of Riverdale.
Maureen was mostly regarded as “Lil Moe”. She even made three trips to Ireland since she was so proud of her Irish heritage. She had a passion for baking and cooking, and she was well-known for sharing her homemade Irish soda bread. There are reports that Maureen has said: “It’s okay if you don’t like me.” Not everyone is tasteful.”
