Husband’s Tearful Wedding Prayer Becomes Final Farewell to Long Island Teacher Allison Rahmani

Matthew Rahmani weeps at the service for his wife Allison on Sunday.Dignity Memorial/Tribute Cast

A wedding prayer Matthew Rahmani wished he had spoken years earlier became part of his final goodbye to his wife on Sunday, as family and friends gathered to mourn Allison Rahmani, the Long Island teacher and mother of four who died after her SUV plunged into the swimming pool at the family’s Hewlett home.

Allison, 40, died Friday, Aug. 21, after losing control of her vehicle. She was able to call for help following the crash, but died while being taken to the hospital. A source familiar with the family separately told JNS that she did not drown. The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.

A prayer that took on a heartbreaking new meaning

The teacher and 40-year-old mom of four lost control of her car and plunged into the swimming pool at her home in Hewlett, Nassau County, on Friday.NBC New York

Dana Hess speaks about her sister Allison’s passion for teaching.Dignity Memorial/Tribute Cast

At Sunday’s funeral at Boulevard-Riverside Chapels in Hewlett, Matthew fought through tears as he recited “Eshet Chayil,” or “Woman of Valor,” a traditional Jewish passage honoring a wife.

Matthew, president of Irving Place Minyan Modern Orthodox Synagogue in Woodmere, told mourners that he regretted not reciting those words at their wedding, saying he could think of nothing more fitting for the woman Allison had been.

His tribute reflected on a marriage that had grown from modest beginnings. Matthew recalled the period when the young couple lived paycheck to paycheck in their first apartment and described Allison as the person who repeatedly reassured him whenever they faced major decisions.

Throughout their life together, he said, she remained convinced they would find a way forward.

That support extended to the center of their lives: their four children.

Matthew described Allison as an exceptionally devoted mother who carefully nurtured their children. Facing a future he never expected to confront alone, he promised to continue the work she had begun and raise their children with the same dedication.

A Paris trip replaced by a funeral

The couple pose with two of their kids.Facebook/Matthew Rahmani

The timing of Allison’s death made Sunday particularly painful.

The couple had been scheduled to leave that same day for a romantic trip to Paris. Instead of beginning their European getaway together, Matthew was surrounded by relatives, friends and members of their community as they said goodbye to his wife.

The tragedy also came shortly after Allison celebrated her 40th birthday.

Allison’s mother, Rachelle Rohde, tearfully recalls her daughter during the funeral.Dignity Memorial/Tribute Cast

Allison worked as a teacher and math coordinator at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway. Her death was announced by Irving Place Minyan on Friday afternoon.

Her mother, Rachelle Rohde, described the enormity of the family’s loss during the service.

“We are broken,” she told mourners. “We will never be the same.”

Rohde also addressed Allison’s four children — Nathan, Jake, Zachary and Chloe — and her husband, promising that their family would continue to stand beside them.

Speaking as though directly to her daughter, she ended with another promise: the family would not let her down.

The teacher her students remembered

Allison’s coffin is led out of Boulevard-Riverside Chapels after her funeral.Dignity Memorial/Tribute Cast

Beyond the tributes to Allison as a wife, daughter and mother, those closest to her remembered an educator whose care for children extended well beyond lessons and mathematics.

Close friend and fellow teacher Shayna Unger recalled an especially revealing example.

Matthew embraces a mourner after his wife’s service Sunday.Kevin C. Downs for NY Post

After the mother of some children at school died, Allison reportedly began thinking about the small routines those girls had suddenly lost — including having their mother help them get ready.

She transformed part of her classroom into an informal morning beauty station, keeping brushes, hair products, barrettes, scrunchies and snacks there.

Each morning, she helped do the girls’ hair.

The purpose, according to Unger, was simple: Allison wanted them to arrive at school feeling like the other children and to preserve some sense of normality during an extraordinarily difficult period.

Her sister Dana Hess remembered another side of Allison, describing her as the “life of the party” and someone who chose teaching because she genuinely loved the work.

Hess spoke about the ordinary family moments she had expected them to share in the years ahead — sitting together while their children played, laughing and being teased by the kids about how similar the sisters sounded.

Those seemingly routine moments, she said, are now among the hardest things to realize will never happen.

Investigation into the crash continues

Matthew describes how he and Allison supported each other in their marriage.Dignity Memorial/Tribute Cast

Allison was driving at her Hewlett home on Friday when her SUV entered the family swimming pool. Despite being able to summon help, she died while being transported to the hospital. JNS reported, citing a source familiar with the family, that drowning was not the cause of her death.

Subsequent reporting citing sources close to the investigation said authorities believe Allison may have experienced a medical emergency before losing control of the SUV. Police reportedly do not suspect foul play, although the investigation remains ongoing and the specific nature of any medical episode has not been publicly established.

Matthew praised his tragic wife as a mother and vowed to “pick up where you left off” raising their four children.Facebook/Ally Rahmani

Matthew watches as his wife’s casket is loaded into a hearse.Kevin C. Downs for NY Post

For Matthew and their four children, Sunday therefore became the opposite of the day the couple had planned.

Instead of leaving together for Paris, Matthew stood before mourners and finally spoke the wedding prayer he wished he had given Allison years earlier — this time as a final tribute to the woman with whom he had built his life.