Contact Us
(812) 372-9923

Allena Nicole Gelfius

allena gelfius

August 23, 2003 ~ May 12, 2026

Born in: Columbus, Indiana
Resided in: Columbus, Indiana

Light a Candle

Add a Memory to the Timeline

Sign the Guestbook

Send Flowers

Allena Nicole Gelfius, age 22, passed away peacefully with family by her side on Tuesday May 12, 2026, in Columbus, Indiana.

She was born on August 23, 2003 in Columbus to Jonathan Gelfius and Kimberly (Hull) Avery.

Allena is survived by her mother, Kimberly Avery of Columbus, father, Jonathan and stepmother, Pacia Gelfius of Shelbyville; brothers, Blake Avery and Cammrin Avery, both of Columbus, Dalton Gelfius of Shelbyville, maternal grandparents, Richard and Sandra Hull of Columbus, and paternal grandparents, David and Barbara Gelfius of Columbus.

She was preceded in death by her uncle Ricky Hull, and baby sister Katie Avery.

Allena was a 2021 graduate of Columbus Signature Academy-New Tech and received the Richard Lugar Academic Recognition award. She attended the University of Indianapolis graduating cum laude in December 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She forged new friendships while at college, loved city life, and enjoyed attending crochet club.

Allena was a gifted artist and often placed her artwork in competitions, winning several awards through the years. She loved trudging through the mud with her fellow Spider Lab students and used her artistic ability to illustrate newly found species. In her younger years she spent countless hours at the Hamilton Ice Center in Columbus where she competed in figure skating.

Allena shared a unique sense of humor with her parents. She counted her mom as one of her closest friends and enjoyed outdoor activities with her papa. Allena had close relationships with each of her three younger brothers. Whether hanging with Blake at the skating rink or kayaking; watching movies or playing video games with Cammrin; or hitting the flea markets with Dalton to add to his endless clock collection, she truly embodied being a big sister.

Allena lived life to the fullest. She enjoyed trying new things and traveling. She impacted everyone who knew her and truly had a heart of gold. She will be forever missed.

Please join us in celebrating Allena with a memorial service at Jewell-Rittman
Funeral Service and Crematory in Columbus on Saturday May 30th at 2:00PM with Robb Besosa officiating. A reception will immediately follow from 3:00 to 5:00PM.

Donations can be made to Stupid Cancer (stupidcancer.org), Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, or any preferred organization focused on cancer research. You are invited to share memories of Allena with her family via the funeral home website: www.jewellrittman.com.

Services

Celebration of Life: Saturday, May 30, 2026
2:00 pm

Jewell ~ Rittman Funeral Service & Crematory
3855 25th St
Columbus, IN 47203
(812) 372-9923

Add to My Calendar America/Indiana/Indianapolis 2026-05-30 14:00:00 2026-05-30 14:00:00 AllenaNicoleGelfiusCelebration of Life Celebration of Life 3855 25th St,Columbus, IN 47203

Show Location on Map

Reception: Saturday, May 30, 2026
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Jewell-Rittman Funeral Service & Crematory
3855 25th Street
Columbus, IN 47203

www.JewellRittman.com

Add to My Calendar America/Indiana/Indianapolis 2026-05-30 15:00:00 2026-05-30 05:00:00 AllenaNicoleGelfiusReception Reception 3855 25th Street,Columbus, IN 47203

Show Location on Map

View current weather.

Memories Timeline

View the Timeline Add a Memory to the Timeline

Guestbook

  4. I only knew you for a year, but my heart hurts knowing you can’t do the things you wanted to achieve. We love you Allena 🤍

    Reply

  5. allena is one of the brightest souls ive had the pleasure of getting to know. there truly is no one quite like allena gelfius, and i am blessed to have had known her so well. there were days where i felt like no one understood me or saw me for who i was, but allena did. i am eternally grateful to have grown alongside her through high school and college. i am so proud of her in every way, i mean she passed organic chemistry and biochemistry at the same time WHILE undergoing chemo and cancer treatment–thats not an easy feat. she was caring, funny, kind, resilient, and determined. the world will not be the same without her, but i will carry a piece of her with me every single day, for the rest of my life, and i feel lucky to be able to do so. i love you allena, and i miss you.

    Reply

    • I met Allena and her mom briefly at CancerCon in 2025 and found an instant connection because I was also diagnosed with brain cancer. I am so deeply saddened and sorry to read this news. From briefly getting to spend time with Allena and having connected with her on social media, I have no doubt that she was an amazing person. I am sending everyone who knows and loves Allena a big hug during this unimaginably difficult time and I hope you all know the impact that she’s made on others in the young adult cancer world. Xoxo

      Reply

  7. She is still to this day the kindest person I’ve ever met. She had such an important role in my life, I will always miss you, Allena.

    Reply

  8. Prayers to the entire family of this sweet young woman. I have met Allena a few times when Mary brought her to a few family events. And she was always a very polite lady full of joy. I have had you all in my thoughts for quite awhile. Prayers for you all as you go through this very difficult time. Mary’s Aunt Robbyn

    Reply

  9. i had the joy of dating allena gelfius for two years. though we parted ways towards the end of her journey, we never stopped loving each other. allena taught me how to live life to the fullest. i will never forget spontaneously getting mexican food in the middle of studying, her telling me random biology facts, her introducing me to new shows and movies, and laughing until we couldn’t breathe. allena always gave me the best advice & always looked out for me. she put everyone above herself, even if you told her not to. allena had a spirit that would make all of the issues in your life go away, even just watching a movie in silence together. even when she struggled to speak, just being with her raised my spirits.
    allena was a great artist. i loved going to her moms house and making allena tell me about every art piece on the wall. i was always fascinated with her work. one day, allena and i went to go paint in the park, and i was honored to be the subject of her painting.
    one of my favorite things about allena was how deeply i know she loved me. allena single-handedly has funded 75% of my
    dinosaur collection because she knows they’re one of my favorite animals. while i could say all of the things allena got me and all the bugs she saved me from are my favorite memories of her, they are not. my favorite memories with her are the ones where we would stay up super late watching movies, gossiping, and cracking jokes, then sleeping in the next day wondering why we’re so tired.
    love you always, bug.

    Reply

  10. I knew Allen’s when her grandmother had tea parties. We had wonderful
    times and it was a joy that I got to meet Allena. 🙏🙏

    Reply

  11. Time for Peace…
    Allena now is your time to be free of all your pain and discomfort. Run through all the daisies you want to and hopefully Kevin will join you too.

    Reply

  12. I will be forever grateful to have spent some of the most formative years of my life with Allena by my side as my best friend. Although we grew up and grew apart, I have carried her with me in my heart and always looked back and will continue to look back fondly on the beautiful memories we shared. Her time was far too short, but she brought such meaning and joy to the lives of so many. I will always remember the seemingly quiet girl who I wouldn’t stop talking to in health class until suddenly we were best friends. From sleepovers to formals to clay class with your grandma, I will hold it in my heart and cherish it forever. I hope you are resting easy without the pain you never should’ve had to deal with. I’ll love and miss you forever.

    Reply

  15. I am so thankful everyday that I joined crochet club and met Allena. She made me feel right at home. She encouraged me to do more than I ever thought I could even when I was a little nervous. She made sure that I went on a study abroad, reminding me that life is short and I should enjoy it. She was right by my side for more than one piercing when I was being a baby. I wish we could have had more time together and I wish I could have heard more about those spiders of yours. I love you and will think of you everytime someone wins a prize at my favorite theater. Miss you cutie.

    Reply

Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle