Elizabeth “Liz” Ann (Allen) Dunigan, a 44-year resident of North Andover, and beloved wife of the late Francis Dunigan, passed away at the Meadows Health Center in North Andover on Friday evening, July 12, 2024. She was 89 years old.
Born in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, on March 10, 1935, she was the daughter of the late William and Helen (Scholtes) Allen. She was born on her father’s birthday. He said she was the best present he ever received. Despite the hardship of losing her father in a coal mining accident when she was just four years old, she was fortunate to have a strong-willed and resourceful mother who made all of their clothes, grew their own vegetables, and started a chicken and pig farm to feed the family and barter for the other supplies. Liz always had a positive outlook on life and looked back on her childhood in Shamokin as the best anyone could have wanted. Her family, neighbors and shopkeepers tried to make things as special as they could. She was affectionately nicknamed “Sis” by her older brother, Jack, and the name stuck. As a child, she and her younger brother, Bill, had many responsibilities, including being enemy aircraft spotters during World War II.
Being a good student with excellent math and problem solving skills, “Sis” had planned to attend college to study civil engineering to build bridges. Unfortunately, the anticipated scholarship program was unexpectedly canceled. Needing to pivot to something that she could afford, she went to Misericordia School of Nursing in Philadelphia. That was lucky for her (future) children, for soon, Frank Dunigan, a young Augustinian seminarian at Villanova University, was one of her patients and they fell in love. The rest they say is history, as Frank left the seminary, and they were married in October of 1956, the day after Frank graduated from the Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. After Frank noted that she could choose whatever name she wanted for her next stage of life, “Sis” became “Liz” to all new acquaintances; although she happily remained “Sis” to her siblings and childhood friends, and “Aunt Sis” to her nieces and nephews.
Liz and Frank, and ultimately their five children, criss-crossed the country with each new naval assignment. Liz held down the home front during this period, including Frank’s tours in Vietnam. In addition to the responsibilities of being a naval officer’s wife and mother of five, coordinating each move and setting up the new home, Liz was a Boy Scout den mother, a Girl Scout leader, and school volunteer. She was known for her Girls Scout camping skills and her ability to remain calm and effective through any emergency. Liz also packed for and entertained five children (and sometimes a dog) on many long road trips (some cross-country) and numerous camping trips. Despite bears, fires, injuries, running out of gas, cars breaking down (or overheating in Death Valley), Liz maintained her composure and her sense of humor - although she might have needed a stiff drink after several of the incidents. After Frank left the Navy, they continued to move to numerous states for his work. In 1974, while Frank was working at the Pentagon, Liz went back to work as a nurse. Shortly thereafter, she fulfilled her dream of getting a college degree. She attended Marymount College on nights and weekends and earned her business degree, while working full-time and raising her five children.
In 1978, the family moved to North Andover. After managing a care-at-home nursing service and running the shipping department of Malden Mills, Liz became the Plant Manager of Big Apple Textile Mill in Lawrence, an unusual position for a woman in the early 1980s. But, she was highly-respected by the rest of management, and her mill-worker teams, due to her leadership and problem-solving abilities. When Frank was transferred to Tampa, Florida for two years, Liz put her tax skills to good use and worked for H & R Block. They returned to North Andover in late 1988, but sadly Frank died unexpectedly in June 1989. Despite losing the love of her life, Liz once again put one foot in front of the other and carried on, making the most out of her life. Following her retirement in 1996, she (now “Nana”) enjoyed providing pre-school and after-school care to several of her grandchildren. Nana loved nothing more than spending time with her grandchildren, traveling, playing games and teaching them special family recipes. She had a way of creating special bonds and traditions with each of her grandchildren.
Throughout her life, she retained her great ability to experience wonder and awe in nature and the universe, and it was infectious. From beautiful “cotton candy” sunsets and majestic mountains to brilliant night sky displays, Liz enjoyed the simple pleasures and beauty of nature. Each year, she took great joy in examining the progression of spring “springing” with her grandchildren - from the initial haze of tree buds and crocus shoots emerging from the snow, to the full panoply of spring flowers, evolving delicate aromas and vibrant green grass. As an eclectic life-long learner, she enjoyed studying history, as well as new scientific discoveries, and quantum physics. She loved many types of music. She considered youth marching band performances (especially if her grandchildren were playing) to be just as important as the BSO performances she loved. Rachmaninoff was her favorite composer. She taught herself personal finance and investing and enjoyed monitoring the stock market and managing her (self-earned) savings and investments until just a few years ago. She was an avid reader, skilled bridge player, and a die-hard Boston sports fan. Also a longtime Navy fan, she was thrilled to attend the Army-Navy game last December at Gillette, at age 88, and made sure she was there for the “March On” of the Midshipmen Brigade.
As a coal miner’s daughter from central Pennsylvania, she never imagined her future adventures and world travels, including Australia, Russia, most of Europe, and all 50 U.S. states. With great pride and enjoyment, she took her extended family on trips to Hawaii, Paris and London. At age 84, she traveled to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, and took a Baltic cruise.
In light of the hardships that she and her family experienced, she took immense pride in seeing all seven of her grandchildren graduate from college. But, when asked her greatest joy, she would always say watching how well all of her grandchildren get along with each other and how “close” they were, even though they grew up in different parts of the country (or stationed abroad). She will be dearly missed.
Liz is survived by her loving children: Michael Dunigan of Methuen; Patricia and her husband, Scott, Krasovec of Haverhill; Timothy and his wife, Lorraine, Dunigan of Henrico, North Carolina; and Anne and her husband, Dennis, O'Donovan of Windham, Maine; brother; William Allen of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, seven grandchildren (Katie and Jake Dunigan, Jack, Will, and Ben Krasovec, Meghan and Erin O’Donovan) and many nieces and nephews. Liz is predeceased by her husband, Francis Dunigan, her daughter, Barbara Dunigan, her brother, John “Jack” Allen, and her sister, Dorothy Jane Dougherty.
Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Michael Church, 196 Main Street, North Andover, on Monday, July 29, 2024, at 10 AM. Relatives and friends are most welcome to attend. Calling hours will be held in the Burke-Magliozzi Funeral Home, 390 North Main Street, Andover on Sunday, July 28, 2024, from 3 PM - 5 PM. Interment will be held in the St. Augustine Cemetery in Andover. In lieu of flowers, donations in Liz’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601. For additional information, please visit, www.burkemagliozzi.com.