Tributes

Arlene P. Marks, of Cathedral City, California, passed away in her sleep at her home of 23 years on Wednesday night, March 6, 2013, fewer than 2 weeks shy of her 82nd birthday. Arlene and her husband, Sidney Marks (1926-1994), ventured out West from New Jersey back in the 1960s, with fresh promises of sunshine, orange trees, beaches, and mountains---and the opportunity to avoid shoveling any more snow. Upon Sidney's retirement from Hughes Aircraft in 1988, Arlene and Sidney continued their adventure, this time headed for the Coachella Valley, where it "couldn't be hot enough" for Sidney. Arlene and Sidney purchased their final home in Cathedral City, and the desert soon became their oasis, where they enjoyed being "locals" rather than "snow birds," having spent many happy vacations in the Palm Springs area. They both took great pleasure in venturing out on day trips, discovering all the delights that retirement and the desert could hold, especially the weather of which they were so fond, excusing the sweltering summer months with "it's only a couple of months of the year; the rest of the year is GOR-geous!" When her husband became ill, Arlene was Sidney's primary caregiver, by his side through his death in the early spring of 1994. Always willing to lend a hand or listening ear or shoulder to cry on, Arlene then became an active volunteer all around the Coachella Valley, offering her services to the local senior center and peer counseling groups and making new friends around town. Arlene also liked to attend local plays and musicals, supporting the local artistic and musical community. A friend once remarked that "if you wanted to know anything about anything in this town, ask Arlene." And just when you think that you might have heard of a grand opening of a new store or restaurant around town before Arlene, think again: She will have already had the sneak preview! In the latter part of her life, following a career as an executive secretary for Cities Service Oil Company and dedicating her life to making a home for her family, Arlene enjoyed being a "homebody," fond of sipping her tea while working complicated word search puzzles (she breezed through the booklets so quickly that she had to order more directly from the company that published them), while admiring the snow on top of the San Jacinto mountain from her kitchen window, about which she'd often comment, "That's where I like to see the snow---on top of the mountain where I don't have to shovel it!" Arlene is survived by her elder daughter, Elissa Wall, and son-in-law, Mark Wall, and younger daughter, Debra Marks. A celebration of Arlene's life will be held at Mount Sinai Memorial Park at 5950 Forest Lawn Drive at noon on Thursday, March 14, 2013. Services are under the direction of Rose Mortuary of Desert Hot Springs.

Tributes

Mrs Arlene Plager Marks

March 19, 1931 - March 6, 2013