Gertrude Louise Allison born in Wheaton, Kansas, on January 28 ^th , 1935, passed away Tuesday, October 6, after a vicious battle with cancer. Fondly referred to as Louise, Lou, Lulu, Lucy, and Gert, Lou grew up in Winner, South Dakota, with two older sisters, one younger brother, and a boatload of friends. Throughout high school, she was a lively, enthusiastic cheerleader for the Winner Warriors, and her senior year was voted Homecoming Warrior Princess. She dreamed of marrying and having a family.

Lou met Keith Allison, her husband of 67 years, at Winner High School. After a disastrous double date that got her in hot water with her dad, their romance blossomed. On August 23, 1953, the couple married. They attended college briefly at SDSU before Keith joined the Marines serving in the Korean War until 1956. A year and a half later, after living on the family farm and welcoming their firstborn, Monte Lee in 1957, the couple moved to Lincoln, NE, and then to Forest Grove, OR. Lou worked while Keith completed his optometric degree. In November of 1960, Lou gave birth to Suzanne.

In 1963, the family relocated to Spearfish, SD, where they bought their first home in Harmony Heights. Lou's vivacious personality and generous spirit as well as her amazing cooking and baking skills soon had their home filled with friends and family. Lou was famous for her fried chicken and mashed potatoes, chicken noodle soup, Swiss steak, ham and scalloped potatoes, brownies, cinnamon and caramel rolls, fudge, peanut brittle, and chocolate chip cookies all prepared in her memorable green checked neck to thigh apron. In January of 1969, the family welcomed Laurie Lynn. Lou continued her cheerleading from the sidelines. Traveling miles to support her children and their friends in baseball, softball, basketball, and track, Lou always toted a cooler full of food and refreshments for everyone. She also made the Allison home a popular hangout for her children and their friends and the numerous pets her husband dragged home.

Not an avid animal lover, Lou patiently dealt with homeless cats, twin Weimaraners who tore sheets off the clothesline, a wild monkey who swung from the rafters in the basement, one large slobbering St. Bernard, a Great Dane who broke a lamp with his giant tail, two gassy boxers, and two Schnauzers one who ran into everything, and one who needed medication during storms. Keith also bought horses when the family moved into the home he and Lou built outside of Spearfish, one of which walked right into the dining room during a slumber party and ate pancakes off the dining room table. The only animal Lou couldn't abide was the occasional mouse.

Lou was a competitive bridge player and often played doubles with Keith in several bridge groups. The couple enjoyed Friday night dates for several decades playing bridge, socializing with other couples, attending sporting events many of which starred their children and grandchildren, and going out for dinner and a night of gambling in Deadwood. She also enjoyed her weekly bowling dates with her bowling buddies who loved her spunky attitude and sense of humor. Lou and Keith loved road trips, often traveling to Las Vegas so Keith could bowl and she could gamble. They also traveled to the east coast to research family and US history, and to Colorado to visit their "adopted" niece and nephew, Linda and Mike Bartling.

As her children grew and married, Lou became the feisty and adventurous Grandma Nunu. As she often did with her own children, Lou would toss a sleeping bag into a wheelbarrow for a makeshift stroller; set up campouts in the back of the pickup; play endless rounds of wild card games of Slap Jack and Go Fish and competitive board games including Trouble and Battle Ship; spend hours coloring at the kitchen table; read children's books and twist the characters and plot lines until her grandchildren giggled themselves to sleep, choreograph dance routines in the living room, and construct forts in the snow. She would also load everyone into a vehicle in the middle of a blizzard to drive to town for ingredients for chili. Her grandchildren loved traveling to Spearfish for Thanksgiving and Christmas often snuggling on the couch in flannel pajamas she had provided after a huge meal to watch football and catch up. They often teased her about how she said, warsh cloth, davenport, waste paper basket, and "How's come?" And dreaded hearing, "You ARE going to try that," "I'm the grandma who spanks," "Did you brush your hair?" and "Are you really going to wear that?" Grandma Nunu offered brutally honest advice, often without asking; but, it was meant to make you a better person.

Later in life, Lou enjoyed being at home with Keith watching football, bowling, golf, poker, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and Hallmark movies. She was also a voracious reader. Lou and Keith spent many a late night reading and discussing various scriptures and stories from the Bible. She was notorious for sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to smoke a cigarette or grab one of her favorite snacks: a Tootsie pop, Bit O'Honey, Good and Plenty; a handful of Cracker Jacks, Fiddle Faddle, or Oreos; or a bowl of jello.

Louise is preceded in death by her older sister, Ruby; her younger brother, Jim; and her son, Monte. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established at the Spearfish Food Pantry and the Methodist Caring Meals Ministry. Funeral services will be held Saturday, October 10, at 3:00 p.m. at the Spearfish United Methodist Church. Burial will be Monday, October 12, at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis.

Online condolences may be written at www.fidler-isburgfuneralchapels.com