Obituary of Lori Ann Allen

Belchertown-Lori A. (Icenhour) Allen, 54, sadly passed away March 24, 2023 with the love of her family surrounding her. Born December 18, 1968 in Lenoir, NC, she is the daughter of Oscar B. and Nancy L. (Hartley) Icenhour. Miss Lori, as she was lovingly called, was well known here in the Belchertown community and beyond. Her career spanned thirty years starting as a high school English teacher, and in 2000, she redirected her focus and became certified in special needs education. Upon settling into Western Massachusetts in 2000, she taught at East Meadow School and Granby Junior/ Senior High School for ten years. She left teaching to focus on her children’s needs before returning to Berkshire Hills Music Academy in 2011. There she served as a one-on-one aide along with that of a life skills coordinator bringing impact to the lives of groups of students with special needs through hands-on projects focused on jobs, career skills, and daily personal needs as young adults. For the past eight years, Lori could be found at the Belchertown Family Center and loved her time connecting with little ones and their families. With this, she was a PC+ Supervisor with the Collaborative for Educational Services and worked at Alphabet Soup Childcare Center in Granby. She was a spiritualist and Reiki Master. She shared her inner energy and meditation with so many from her home, by visiting and finding peace with others within their homes, the Senior Center, Christopher Heights, and The Nest in Belchertown, her podcast, and recorded videos with Belchertown Community TV. Lori loved the tranquility and history she found at old cemeteries, from the artwork of the monuments to the stories of the memorialized families she found there. For the past two years, Lori and her husband dedicated some of their time to their land and future retirement home in the Catskills. Lori's memory will forever be a part of all the lives she touched. Her husband, Roger N. Allen, Jr., along with their two children, Daniel and Matthew Allen, her two brothers, Randy and Jeff Icenhour, her vast NC family and lifelong friends, the community of friends across New England, and all of those who were drawn to her from parts of the world are left with Lori's legacy of love. Beers & Story Belchertown Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements. There is no visitation and services will be privately held in the future. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Lori's memory to the American Stroke Association, Quaboag Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center of West Brookfield or Honest Beginnings/ SOAAR of Belchertown.