Arlene M. Szczyrk

Arlene Marie Sczcyrk (nee Mellies) was born in Chicago, IL to Elmer & Josephine Mellies on April 12, 1932. She was the oldest of her five siblings & spent the first six years of her life as the apple of everyone’s eye.

As a child, she loved spending time at McCollum Lake in McHenry with her parents and grandparents. There she enjoyed swimming and horseback riding. At Gage Park High School, she was a cheerleader and participated in many activities including teen opinion forums and Battle of the Books which was broadcast on television. After graduation, she worked in the offices at Imperial Trucking Company with her mother, helping with her four younger siblings after the early death of her father.

Arlene married her husband, Matthew Szczyrk, on August 29, 1953, in Chicago. They had a daughter Donna Lynn in 1957 and son Steven Alan in 1959. The family lived in Chicago, moving to Burbank in 1971. Family was central to Arlene’s life, living near to her parents, aunts & uncles, and generations of cousins created a lifetime of party planning.

Arlene was incredibly artistic and creative. She loved drawing and pursued it throughout her life, from figure drawing in high school to botanical drawing classes at the Morton Arboretum as an adult. She couldn’t resist picking up a pinecone or seashell for a craft she would say she would get to eventually, inspired by the craft (crap!) shows she loved to shop at. She was well known for her ceramics work with her cousin Diane, creating Christmas ornaments for every member of the family for the annual Christmas party. She was a milliner and seamstress, creating beautiful hats and clothes for herself, her children, and her grandchildren for both every day and special occasions such as baptisms and graduations.

Arlene lived a long life full of many adventures, important relationships, and lots of ice cream. She loved her regular trips to Door County with her husband Matt, brother Robert and sister-in-law Diana. She spoke often of her church group trip to Israel where she swam in the Dead Sea. Arlene made life-long friends with her high school girlfriends, “The Club”, and her former JCPenney coworkers; both groups would meet up once a month for decades. In her later years, her relationship and visits with her great grandchildren highlighted her joy in being the best old lady ever, making sure everyone knew how to do the things the “right” way.

Arlene passed peacefully on March 30, 2026. She is survived by her two children Donna (Timothy) Hamilton, Steven (Sandra) Szczyrk, grandchildren Amanda (Daniel) Salyers, Matthew (June) Hamilton, Jason Szczyrk, and Jonathan Szczyrk, and great-grandchildren Calvin and Bennett Salyers and Emilia Hamilton. She also is survived by her brother Robert (Diana) Mellies and sister Joann (Edward) Bell, and a large multi-generational family of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Arlene was preceded in death by her husband Matthew, sister Carolyn, and brother James. She will rest at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Alsip, IL with her husband Matthew.

Arlene will have a visitation at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1101 Kimberly Way, Lisle, IL 60532, on April 7, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, followed by a funeral service at the same location at 11:00 am. Interment will be private.