Alison Ali-oop Elizabeth Goebel

Alison Elizabeth Goebel was born in San Diego, California on January 10th, 1983 to Edward and Cynthia Goebel, and nearly 4 year old sister Leona. Her mother named her Alison after an Elvis Costello song popular at the time, and an attractive news reporter in the San Diego area named Cynthia Alison. She carries her maternal grandmother Hazel’s middle name Elizabeth, as does her youngest niece, Morgan. She learned to walk and talk early, at about 10 months, and one of her first favorite words was “eat”. Alison moved with her family back to Rancho Cucamonga in May of 1984.

As a toddler, Alison took classes through the City of Rancho Cucamonga for gymnastics, tap and ballet, playschool, and swimming, and participated in the Annual Rotary Club Track Meet at Chaffey College for three years. Alison attended the First Presbyterian Preschool in Upland, before moving on to kindergarten at Deer Canyon Elementary. Even then, Alison’s spirit, courage, and character shone through in everything she did. Evident of that spirit, Alison’s kindergarten drawing of an island with mermaids in the ocean won first place for the entire District in the Visual Arts Fair in 1989.

At the age of seven, Alison discovered a passion for soccer when she joined AYSO. She liked it so much, she played every fall and spring. Her father started refereeing in support of her teams, and her mother volunteered with AYSO for registrations, and later joined a women’s soccer team. Alison’s older sister Leona tried a season of soccer, as well, though she found she had no aptitude for it. Alison’s family made it a habit to support and cheer her on at all of her games throughout the nine years she played. She tried out for and made it into the Flames, the local AYSO district’s traveling select soccer team, at the age of fourteen. Following that, she joined a Club soccer team, the Aztecs, and then the Arsenal. During one of the first few games with the Arsenal, she got a breakaway, and was rushing in for a goal. But the goalie came out and slide-tackled her, and broke Alison’s leg. She wasn’t able to play through the rest of her school years, but eventually did join a recreational women’s team for some time.

Alison and her family often went on vacations together during school breaks. They included week-long RV trips through much of scenic Arizona, week-long trips to the Colorado River with the family waverunners, and one cross country road trip to New Hampshire to meet Great Grandparents and extended family. They also spent days at places like the beach, Snow Valley Ski Resort, Disneyland, and Magic Mountain, where Alison could hardly wait to be tall enough to ride Viper. She especially loved being able to drive the waverunners up at Lake Silverwood or on the River starting when she was 12 years old. She also liked ice skating and skiing, and later, she learned to love snowboarding. The family Quadrunner was also a source of fun, as the whole family could go to a nearby field and drive around. Alison’s favorite thing was to see how fast she could go on the quad.

Alison’s favorite holiday certainly seemed to be Halloween. Her mom was adept at making costumes, which allowed Alison’s creativity to go wild. When she was three years old, she came up with the idea to be a grilled cheese sandwich. Her Uncle David liked the idea so much, that he engineered the costume for his daughter Jacklyn to use that year, and then passed it down for Alison to use the following year. In High School, her costumes ranged from Leeloo from Fifth Element to Poison Ivy from Batman and Robin. She continued to celebrate Halloween with gusto; last Halloween she was a saucy chef.

During High School, Alison was involved in many various activities. Alison was part of the High School choir for a few years. While in choir, her group won a Cornerstone Award for Concert Choir in 2000. She was also selected to sing a solo for choir, having such a strong natural talent for it. She also was part of the Baldy View ROP class; the Law Enforcement Academy. In the spring of 2000, she won third place for physical training out of the entire squad. When Alison was 16, she tried out for the Seventeen Magazine’s prom catwalk show at the Glendale Galleria. Out of more than 200 girls who auditioned, Alison was one of less than a dozen who were selected to model the gowns. Also, Alison maintained part time jobs through most of High School, working first at Bakers, and then at Charlotte Russe at the Ontario Mills Mall, where the perks suited her just fine.

Following High School, Alison got various jobs while she looked for her true calling. She worked at Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in the mail room for a few years. Her father has worked there for over 20 years, so he and Alison carpooled, and they shared many lunches and good memories. She put her experience in the mail room to good use when she took a job at Fremont Investment and Loan as a supervisor in the mail room in 2005. However, as the economy took a bad turn in 2007, Alison was one of many the company had to let go. She found a temporary job after that, but she already had bigger plans.

In 2008, Alison was finally able to follow one of her life-long dreams; to become a professional chef. She was accepted to the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Academy in Pasadena, and fulfilled her externship at Café Catalanto in northern Spain for three months. While there, Alison was able to take in the sights and the slopes, and a enjoyed weekend in London. She then graduated with a culinary degree and an Associate of Arts Degree in May of 2009.

During her spring break from Le Cordon Bleu in April of 2008, she and her mother vacationed for a week in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu, at Waikiki. Together, they toured the island, went snorkeling, visited Pearl Harbor, and dined at the Top of Waikiki. Alison enjoyed the night life in Hawaii, made friends while there, and overall fell in love with the island.

Outside of work and school, Alison had a zest for life. She loved animals, once helping nurture an abandoned litter of kittens. She took special care of the runt of the litter, who would have died had she not hand fed him three to four times every day for three months. In 2007, she bought a chocolate Labrador, who she named Milo. Alison raised Milo well, teaching him many tricks, and training him to be gentle and well-mannered around other people, other dogs, and even around cats. Alison also had an admiration for cars, which was evident most with her ’99 Z-28 Camaro. Alison actually took her Camaro to the Irwindale Speedway and got to race it against other cars. And before the 210 freeway was officially open, Alison took her Camaro out for a test, and topped out at 130mph. After the Camaro, she got a little Mercedes convertible, but ended up with an Altima Hybrid out of practicality for her daily commute from work to culinary school. Alison also loved to get decked out and go to parties, and especially loved Karaoke. She often took trips to Las Vegas with friends, which was her favorite destination until her trip to Hawaii.

Alison will always be remembered for her honesty, her engaging smile, her whole-hearted devotion and generosity to her friends and family, and her brilliant energy and enthusiasm. She dearly loved her nephews and nieces Heather, Scotty, Nick and Morgan, and her cousins Tara and Renee’s children, who were all enamored with her magnetism and sparkle. Alison’s departure will leave a chasm in this world that is paled only by our love for her.