Arlene Sax

Our mom, Arlene Sax, was 97 years old when she passed away on June 19, 2023. Born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois, she lived there until our dad, Bill, passed away in 2010. They were married for over 60 years and enjoyed visiting son Marty in Tucson and daughter and son-in-law, Caren and Chris in San Diego. Mom was excited to move to Tucson and settled happily into her new home next to Marty’s house. Her nephew, Robert, moved into Mom’s house in 2019, and they soon figured out how to cohabitate. She made new friends through several groups she attended in Tucson and always enjoyed seeing friends of ours. Although Mom never pursued her own career, she always encouraged us to follow our dreams. When asked if she would have liked to have continued her education, she said that she would have selected something in the fashion world. Instead, she made our lunches every day, greeted us when we came home from school, and had home-cooked meals ready every night. As we got older, she worked in several retail stores that sold women’s clothes and was always fashion forward. Her nails were always polished, and she had more lipsticks than she could ever use up. One of her favorite activities was shopping, especially at Kohl’s where she would often buy items only to return them on the next trip. So many relatives and friends have fond memories of our mom. She’s known friends of ours since we were kids, and welcomed new friends as if they were family. Mom had a sense of adventure that she didn’t often get to pursue but eagerly agreed when she had the opportunity to travel to Mexico, Israel, Italy, and Hawaii. All the caregivers who helped her in the past few years loved spending time with her, as she was always kind and showed a great sense of humor. Above all, Mom was a good person, something she liked to remind us of often.

Mom joins her parents, husband, sister and brother-in-law, son-in-law, and others who passed before her. She will be missed by Marty and Debbie, Caren, grandson Ben, her nephews and nieces, cousins, and all those who loved her. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Soulistic Hospice, https://soulistichospice.org .