Aurora newlywed remains a devoted teacher to the end

Some people, when they receive bad news, make do. Not Allison Hurley. When she was diagnosed with colon cancer, the Aurora teacher made plans.

"She got a new job. She got engaged. She bought a house. She got a new dog. She went on trips. She celebrated milestones," said Hurley's sister Lisa Nucci.

In short, Allison Hurley lived.

Until just a few weeks ago, the newlywed of 18 months taught history and English as a second language, and she coached the mock trial team at Glenbard East High School in Lombard. Hurley, described by her sister Meghan Hurley as the sun around which their family orbited, died Feb. 7. She was 35.

The GEHS department chairman who nominated Hurley for 2019's Gilder Lehrman National History Teacher of the Year, described her as a "transformative educator" who informed and empowered students and established the district's first Girl Up chapter to assist girls with promoting gender equality and social change. Hurley also founded a Girl Up chapter at Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville, where she taught history, Advanced Placement comparative government and politics, and ESL, as well as coaching softball, from 2012 to 2016.

To Hurley, who received bachelors and masters degrees from DePaul University, teaching wasn't a job, it was a passion, said Nucci, who described her sibling as "super opinionated and very sharp."

Remembered as kind, loyal and dedicated, Hurley's respect for students, curiosity about their lives and culture and her ability to recognize their potential made her an ideal educator and mentor, Meghan Hurley said.

"We all knew she was going to be a teacher," she said. "There's something about her that celebrates all individuals."

The youngest of the three siblings, Hurley was everyone's little sister, said Nucci, who suspects Allison's imaginary childhood friend Pink the penguin was a ruse to get presents from their parents.

"She was so invested and so supportive of everybody. She wanted to be there for the things that really mattered to everyone," Nucci said. "She appreciated the simple things and people felt at home with her. That's why she attracted so many people. They felt safe with her."

In a tribute to her sister, Nucci wrote that no one enjoyed a day at the ballpark, a backyard barbecue or a holiday celebration quite like Alli.

"I've never met anyone who could lounge like Alli; or stay focused on a goal like Alli; or someone who appreciated weird stuff like Hallmark movies like Alli," Nucci wrote.