On Wednesday, June 17, 2020, Allison M. Stathius (nee Schauer), the 2011 New Egypt Middle School Teacher of the Year, left this world to travel and explore the universe.

Born on a beautiful sunny day in Trenton, New Jersey, on June 15, 1984, Allison was the daughter of Alan and Laureen (nee Shive) Schauer.

From an early age, Allison showed an interest in the workings of the world. Often found searching the yard for a new insect to dissect or reading a book about dinosaurs, it was clear that Allison was intelligent and scientifically inclined.  She attended Nottingham High School in Hamilton, NJ, and graduated in the top 5% of her class.  Her academic performance earned her a full tuition scholarship from The College of New Jersey and she went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with a dual degree in Biology and Secondary Education.

Mere academic achievement wasn't enough for the kind and generous Allison.  After college, she accepted a position as a teacher at New Egypt Middle School—she would never look back.  In her thirteen years at NEMS, Allison taught science, technology, computer graphics, math and even a preschool class all while earning a Master's degree in the emerging field of Educational Technology.  For her thesis project, Allison designed new tablet software to help non-verbal students to communicate. When not teaching, Allison served up craft beer to her beloved customers at Eclipse Brewing and worked as an educational consultant at Standard Solutions, LLC.

Meanwhile, at New Egypt, she helped to launch the school's STEAM program and volunteered to chaperone the annual overnight camping trip.

It was after returning from one of those camping trips that Allison met the love of her life, Joe. Although they initially met at Joe's house, their relationship was cemented later that night when Allison refused to drink the cheap beer out of the pitcher and Joe had to go to the bar to buy her a Guinness.

After years of travelling back and forth from Washington, D.C. to visit each other while Joe attended law school, Alli and Joe were married at the Sacred Heart Church in Trenton, New Jersey on June 9, 2012.  Later that evening, at a Phillies-themed reception, they danced the night away with their friends and family at Belle Voir Manor in Bensalem, PA.  Although not their first trip, their honeymoon was the biggest to date when they spent time in Paris, took the Chunnel to London, and sailed for a week on the Queen Mary 2 across the Atlantic Ocean and into New York Harbor.

Their honeymoon wasn't the end of their travels and adventures though.  In the eight years of their marriage, Alli and Joe backpacked Europe with their closest friends, hiked four days to Machu Picchu, took a private tour of the Vatican, attended Super Bowl 50, cruised the Hawaiian Islands and saw Africa's "Big Five" while on safari in South Africa.

Alli and Joe's adventures continued even after she was diagnosed with Glioblastoma, the most deadly and aggressive form of brain cancer, on February 8, 2019.  Following brain surgery, chemotherapy and physical therapy, Allison recovered and was able to check one more trip off of her bucket list—the place where so much of the sciences began—the Galapagos Islands.

After returning, Allison began experiencing additional symptoms and was diagnosed with a recurrence of the tumor.  Ever the trailblazer, Allison became a participant in a clinical trial in Boston using a modified version of the polio virus in an effort to stave off the cancer. The battle continued for the next nine months but, just as with so many others diagnosed with the "emperor of cancers," Allison succumbed on June 17, 2020.  She was surrounded by all of her family and her beloved yellow labrador, Roo.

In life, Alli loved to try new recipes and explore new restaurants.  She would make anything from scratch whenever possible and did everything her own way.  She was handy, resourceful and creative.  When Joe wanted to call a contractor to fix something around the house, Alli insisted on fixing it herself.  She was a great listener and friend to all who knew her.  Her greatest legacy though, came in the endless notes from past students who credited her for inspiring them to pursue careers in the sciences.

Allison was the beloved wife of Joe Stathius, the devoted daughter of Alan and Laureen (nee Shive) Schauer and the loving sister of Kevin (Jess) Schauer.  She was aunt to Bryson and Wesley Schauer, daughter-in-law to Joe and Donna Stathius and sister-in-law to Steven Stathius (Christina Moore) and Allison Stathius (Katie Donohoe). She was also the granddaughter of Lorraine R. Shive and the late Charles W. Shive and the late Walter and Doris Schauer.

Per Allison's wishes, services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests acts of kindness or a donation to New Egypt Middle School (Memo: NEMS STEAM Lab-Stathius) 115 Evergreen Road, New Egypt, NJ 08533, so that the students of today can develop cures for tomorrow. Photos and tributes may be shared at the High Hopes for a Cure Facebook page of highhopesforacure@gmail.com