Allie Duda Credit: Courtesy

A creative spirit with a deep love for her family and friends, Allie died unexpectedly after years of living with complex mental health illness compounded by substance-use disorder, neither of which she chose.

Allie’s early childhood in Wolcott, Vt., was filled with many happy moments with her sisters, Emma and Molly, and her parents, Sara Pennock and Richard Duda.

Annual trips to visit family at the ocean in Rhode Island or Lake Anna in Virginia, camping on Cape Cod, and being with friends were some of the highlights. Allie adored all the family pets, especially Chloe and Sophie, her two dogs.

She had two very special mentors who inspired and encouraged her to develop her love of visual art. We hope they know how important they were to Allie.

As a young adult Allie became fascinated with archeology and spent a summer in Washington state digging for wooly mammoth bones. In time she discovered that photography was the medium through which she saw the world most clearly. She pursued this passion at the University of Miami, traveled to England for a semester and received a Certificate in Photography from Maine Media College in Rockport, Maine.

Allie’s spirit lives on in her three wonderful children. She knew she could not provide them with the opportunities to achieve their hopes and dreams and consequently chose an adoption plan for each of them, one of the most selfless acts of a mother’s life.

Words don’t adequately describe our gratitude for Dawn Tatro’s belief in Allie and the extent to which she went to support Allie in finding her sobriety.

She will be greatly missed by those who loved her and will always be remembered as the bold and beautiful light that is Allie.

Contributions can be made to Jenna’s Promise, PO Box 575, Johnson, VT 05656 or The Breakfast on Us Program, c/o Claudia Niles, PO Box 475, Morrisville, VT 05661.

A private celebration of Allie’s life will be held at a future date.