Allison Marie Kish

Allison Marie (Rees) Kish, age fifty-nine, passed peacefully in the presence of those she loved most on October 22, 2024 after bravely fighting brain cancer for fourteen years. She was a woman of fierce determination, witty humor, immense kindness and immeasurable strength until the very end.

Allison was born on October 2, 1965 to Patricia (Saal) Rees and Ernest Rees in Huntington, NY. She grew up in Ridgewood, NJ with her sister Nancy (Rees) Read where she enjoyed playing with her cats, practicing violin and cooking with her grandmother. Allison played golf competitively in high school and was the top-ranking player as well as the only girl on the school’s team. She went on to win a New Jersey Junior State Championship and golf continued to be something she enjoyed throughout her life. Allison graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Miami in 1987 with minors in Chemistry and Sociology. She would go on to have a highly successful career in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries that spanned more than two decades. Allison managed clinical trials in the US and Europe for ground-breaking cardiology and oncology drugs that continue to save numerous lives today. She was also a member of the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

In addition to being a driven career woman, she was a loving wife to her husband Robert Charles Kish and a selfless mother to her daughter Natalie Patricia Kish. Allison and Robert were married on March 18, 1989 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Branchville, NJ. They were soulmates who shared 35 wonderful years of marriage together, and were a true testament to the vows “for better, for worse”. Allison, Robert, and Natalie shared many wonderful memories as a close-knit family of three. They would enjoy road trips, family movie nights and most of all, boating and going to the beach. They shared many long summer weekends at Long Beach Island, NJ where Allison and Robert first met in 1987. Allison was extremely proud of her ability to operate, navigate and helm power boats up to forty-two feet in length to make family boating adventures safer. She and Robert were truly “Co-Captains” and equals in all aspects of the beautiful life they shared together.

Allison is survived by her husband Robert, daughter Natalie, sister Nancy, niece Lauren (Read) Koslow and nephew Phillip Read. She was preceded in death by her parents Patricia and Ernest. Donations in Allison’s loving memory may be made to the National Brain Tumor Society using the fundraising link below.

https://nbtsevents.braintumor.org/fundraiser/5898027