Arleen Ardelle Schiller

Arleen Ardelle Schiller was born Sept. 1, 1908, in Victoria, BC and died peacefully at Sunbridge Nursing Care Facility on Tues., Feb. 8, 2006. Arleen was a 51-year resident of Moses Lake, WA and beloved wife, of 59 years, to Percy Schiller, currently in NJ. She was a devoted mother to son & daughter-in-law, Neil & Susan Schiller of Point Pleasant, NJ and daughter, Anita Nelson, of Belfair, WA. She was the adored grandmother of Wayne, Eric, & Larry Schiller, and Amy Edwards, and great-grandmother of Drew Schiller & Jake Edwards, all of NJ. She was also a loving aunt to Joellen Wolfe of Belfair, WA; Bob Bluhm, of AZ; Marilyn Harris, and Bill & John Kaye all of the Seattle area. Benson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements; a private memorial will be held. The family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Assoc., in her name, in lieu of flowers, 1.800.272.3900. Anyone wishing to contact the family with remembrances of Arleen, please contact Neil & Susan at 732.892.7384 or 1837 Northwest Dr, Pt. Pleasant, NJ 08742.

Anyone who met and knew Arleen loved her, & felt her loving nature, even through her last illness-she was grandma to all and she will be terribly missed. Arleen was known to love children and animals. She even escorted spiders out of the house! Arleen's mother died when she was 10 years old, and Arleen became the "little mother" to her 3 younger siblings. She helped her father, William Kaye, raise the children until he remarried when she was a teenager. She then gained a half-brother, George Kaye, of Prince Edward Island, BC.

Arleen was ahead of her time. Graduating with top honors from high school, she came to the United States. In the mid-1920s, she attended Business College in Seattle. She then became a naturalized U.S. citizen and worked as a bookkeeper for almost 20 years in both Seattle and Bremerton. During this period, she was married for the first time and raised her daughter, Anita. On May 12, 1946, she married her husband of 59 years, Percy F. Schiller. Their son, Neil, was born in 1948. They moved to Moses Lake, on Jan. 1, 1955, to begin new lives as farmers. Arleen's love of animals made farm life much more entertaining. She made pets of all her chickens and the ewes all came when she called their names! Arleen also believed strongly in the adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." She could always find something nice to say about everyone! Over the years, Arleen became quite an accomplished gardener and baker. She was known for her beautiful roses, dahlias, raspberry pie, and kind-hearted nature.

Keeping close contact with family was very important to her and she welcomed summer-long visits from her grandchildren, as well as trips out to NJ for various holidays. They have wonderful memories of their visits to Grandma & Grandpa's farm. Arleen was a warm, caring woman who will be deeply missed by all, but her legacy lives on.