"I miss you so much, Nana. I still can?t comprehend that you?re gone. I think about you every single day."
In loving memory of
Arlene E. Calaway
August 20, 1934 - November 30, 2022
Arlene E. Calaway, aka "Arlene the Beauty Queen" or "Young and Good Looking", died Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at 1:20 am in Blessing Hospital. She was 88 years old.
Arlene was born August 22, 1934 in Quincy to Arthur and Florence Rathbun White and was raised in Quincy. She married Earl Calaway on September 7, 1952 in Quincy. He preceded her in death on October 12, 2014.
As a teenager, she dreamed of becoming a nurse and checked out all the nursing books from the school library. Marriage and babies put that dream aside, but she eventually obtained the degree of LPN. She worked at Blessing Hospital for over 30 years, mostly in pediatrics but would often float anywhere she was needed. She especially loved working in the ER. She gave the best shots at the hospital, or at least that is what she said to scared children to help them relax. It usually did the trick.
Arlene was an avid quilter up until the end and was well known to the area quilt guilds and fellow fabric addicts. She loved teaching quilting at John Wood or at one of the local shops. After retirement, she and Earl traveled around the country, mostly out west to the mountains and ocean. In between trips she would work PRN at Blessing. The end of her career came from too many computer changes. She often said even in the last year that she would love to return to work, but not if she had to use a computer!
Arlene was a truly kind and exceptional person with a strong faith in the teaching, acceptance, and love of Jesus. She was a member of Faith Journey Church. She was a mentor and adopted mother to many and loved unconditionally. Many know her for her humor but her family knew her as a "smart ass." It is a characteristic she has passed down to the younger generations. She would often stop parents with new babies out in public and inform them she was the city baby inspector just so she could get a look. She scared quite a few of those parents.
Arlene is survived by her three children, Ellen Rigor of Quincy, Jeff Calaway of Mexico, MO, and Kathleen (Nancy Mueller) Calaway of Spokane, WA; her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Cindy (Keith) Fally and son, Clayton, of Edwardsville, IL; Diane Rigor of Portland, OR; step-grandson, Derek Clark, of IA; Michael (Kayla Owsley) Calaway and son, James of Quincy; Jeri Crowder and children, Sarah, Karly, and Dylan of Kansas City, MO; Jeffrey (Heather) Calaway, Jr. and children, Brayden and Hunter, of Columbus, OH; and Steven Calaway, of Kansas City, MO; brother, Dr. Alan (Katie) White of Carmichael, CA; three sisters, Marcia (Ren) Scharnhorst of Quincy, Sandy Dietsch of Phoenix, AZ, and Jo (Terry) Fuller of Quincy.
In addition to her husband, Arlene was preceded in death by her parents, two step-grandchildren, Morgan and Seth Mueller, and her best friend Phyllis Unglaub.
Services: 9:30 am on Friday, December 9, 2022 at Hansen-Spear Funeral Home, with Pastor Ryan Wiemelt officiating.
Burial: Sunset Cemetery, Quincy, Illinois.
Visitation: 4:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday December 8, 2022 at Hansen-Spear Funeral Home. Nurse Honor Guard Service will be held at 7:00 p.m. following the visitation.
Memorial donations may be made to Faith Journey Church. Memorial Donations may be made online at https://memorials.hansenspear.com
www.hansenspear.com
Hansen-Spear Funeral Directors are in charge of the arrangements.
Tributes
"Ellen, Jeff and Kathleen, and families. So sorry for your loss. Arlene was a great neighbor to our family, after our husband/father died, Betty, Joann and Greg Meyer and later when Bill Stormer became a member of our family. She was always ready to help and was kind to the neighbor kids. Later on she and I worked at Blessing and we had many enjoyable visits on our lunch hours. She was a wonderful nurse and loved working with her patients. After we both retired we would meet while out and about and we would have great time visiting. Especially talking about times on 26th Lind. She will be missed by many. Remember a life with so much love, lives on the hearts of those who knew and loved her. Joann Meyer Reichert"
"I knew Arlene as a friend and fellow quilter. She will be missed. "
"Ellen and family. Soo sorry for your loss. Sending thought's and prayer's. Sherri Chatfield Mayfield"
"I worked with Arlene for many years, she was always so happy taking care of the little ones, and always had a smile and a joke to share. A great nurse and a great coworker!!"
"My condolences to the family, I worked with Ellen, she was my Supervisor...the best, for sure. May Arlene Rest in Peace, assurance of prayer for all at this sacred but bittersweet time..as she returns to her Gosd. God bless you all. S. Mary Shaw, ASC, D. Min, Springfield, Il. formerly of Quincy, Il"
"Kathy and family, so sorry for your loss. Your mother was a truly special lady."
"I worked with Arlene on Peds at Blessing Hospital. I always looked forward to 11 p.m. when it was time for her to come to work. She always had a smile and a chuckle. I always called her "Grandma Arlene". Heaven gained another perfect nurse. Karen Bernard"
"I remember Arlene from my youth at Immanuel Baptist. Such a fun and lovely lady! My condolences to the family and especially to Kathy."
"Kathy and family , so sorry to hear of your loss."
"I love and miss you so much already, Nana. You were a blessing in my life as well as many others. May you rest in peace. ?"