Arlene D. Raley

Arlene Dorothy Raley was born in Saginaw, Michigan to Lottie and Carl DeWaele. She was the third of the four children, and had two sisters and one brother. She passed away on May 27th, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 86.

Arlene graduated from St. Mary’s Cathedral High School. She then attended Saint Mary’s Hospital and graduated with a diploma in Nursing in 1957. She met her husband Bruce at a dance and they were married in Saginaw. Arlene and Bruce had their first two children while in Michigan. But, soon the call of more schooling lured them to North Carolina. From there they crossed the country to continue schooling in Arizona. There, they had their third child. There were more moves to California and Wisconsin before Arlene and Bruce headed back to Arizona, where they had their fourth child and both lived out the rest of their lives. Most of Arlene’s career was spent working in the area of in-patient and out-patient surgical nursing. She had many exciting stories to share of her days working in surgery at the County Hospital.

Arlene was born into a musical family. Her dad owned a music store and played several instruments. While trombone and trumpet were his favorites, Arlene’s was the piano. She and her dad and sister even recorded a record album of themselves. The baby grand piano she and Bruce bought was the highlight of her life.

In 1999, Arlene lost her husband of 39 years. Although tragic, she had the great blessing of meeting another man to love and share her life. Edmund and Arlene married in 2004. They resided in Arizona and had almost 18 years of marriage. They filled their time with fun, travel, and dancing. Arlene particularly enjoyed singing in the Sun City Grand Choir.

Arlene is preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Lottie, her brother Donald DeWaele, sister-in-law Ruth DeWaele, her first husband, Bruce Suppes, and brother-in-law Frank Cox. Surviving family members include her husband, Edmund J. Raley of Phoenix, and her two sisters, Elaine DeWaele of Sun City and Lois Cox of Colorado Springs. Arlene had four children, Dorothy Holm (Paige) of Phoenix, Bruce Suppes of Phoenix, David Suppes (Barb) of Denver, and Adam Suppes (Amy) of Fairfax. She was blessed with eight grandchildren: Andy Suppes, Brinley Suppes, Mikayle Holm, Peyton Holm, Jacob Suppes, Philip John Suppes, Will Suppes, and Bailey Suppes.

A Celebration of Life will be 10:00 AM, Saturday, June 25, 2022 at Green Acres Mortuary, 401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257.

If you would like to make a donation to one of Arlene’s favorite charities, “In memory of”, please consider:

Catholic Relief Services https://www.crs.org/

The Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org/