Arlene was born on Feb. 28, 1928 ( I wonder if it was a leap year?), to Tom and Kaye Helmus, in Kalamazoo, MI. She was the oldest of three children, with two younger brothers, Christian and Sidney. The family eventually moved to Grand Rapids, MI, where, as a teenager, Arlene met a young man named Don. When her handsome sailor, Don, returned home after the war, they married. Arlene and Don had a busy, growing family with three children of their own when the idea of moving to Florida began to take shape. In the winter of 1959, they sold their house, packed a U-Haul, and moved to Lake Worth. Both were active at Lake Worth Christian Reformed Church and Lake Worth Christian School. Their children, Judy, Don, and Dave flourished, and the family loved Florida. Arlene worked as a secretary at Palm Beach State College (then known as Junior College), and eventually retired from there. After 52 years of marriage, Don got sick, and though Arlene diligently and lovingly cared and nursed him, cancer took his life. Though being a widow was a struggle, the biggest challenge was the detection of her own memory lapses - the same type of lapses she'd seen in her own father. The diagnosis of Alzheimer's became real. She began to slip away from reality and her family. Arlene has spent the past three and a half years at Heartland skilled nursing home in Boynton, receiving careful, kind, and professional attention by a wonderful medical and nursing staff. But, as the relentless, downward spiral of Alzheimer's took its toll, Arlene's long and valiant struggle ended. She slipped from this world into her glorious Heavenly home on Aug. 11. Imagine... a strong body, a clear mind, hugging her loved ones who've gone before, and best of all, praising her Savior, Jesus Christ, every day forevermore.

Arlene is lovingly remembered by her daughter, Judy (Doug) Mulder, and sons, Don and Dave Tiddens, all in the Lake Worth area; grandchildren, Dave Tiddens, Dan Mulder, Mike (Natalie) Mulder, and Tom (Kelsey) Mulder; and great grandchildren, William, Abigail, Andrew, and Kaitlyn Mulder. Arlene was predeceased by her husband, Don, and her granddaughter Christina Tiddens.

Following her funeral service at Palm Beach National Chapel on Aug. 28, 2017 at 11:30 A.M. she will be laid to rest at South Florida National Cemetery, sharing a site once again with her 'handsome sailor.'

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be given to the Alzheimer's Association, c/o Heartland of Boynton, 3600 Old Boynton Rd., Boynton Beach, FL 33436, in Arlene's memory.