Karlene Thelma Idleman

May 29, 1932 - March 23, 2025

Sacramento, California - Karlene Thelma Idleman, a longtime Fair Oaks resident, state worker and proud great-great grandmother, died on Sunday March 23 after a courageous eight-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 92. Her daughters, Cydne Valenzano and Marilyn White, were at her bedside when she peacefully passed away.

A native of Kittery, Maine, Karlene was the youngest of the four daughters of Karl and Thelma Witham. Karlene and her three sisters attended a one-room school and often swam in the Atlantic Ocean off a lobster shack pier. During the World War II years, they witnessed the surrender of a German submarine at the nearby Portsmouth Naval Yard.

Karlene moved to Los Angeles as a teenager. As an employee of a bank in the shadow of Hollywood, she was enamored by the stars of the era. In Los Angeles, she met her husband of 53 years, Robert H. "Bob" Idleman.

In 1956, the couple moved to Sacramento, where they raised three children. Her husband was employed by the State Department of Transportation as a bridge inspector and Karlene worked for 20 years with the Franchise Tax Board, retiring early so she and her husband could indulge in their love of travel. They traveled to England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy. They also traveled to China and Hong Kong. In 2018 she visited her hometown of Kittery, where she was able to meet up with her relatives.

Karlene loved her family, which she considered everything to her.

Karlene was preceded in death by her husband who died on March 8, 2010; her son; Raymond Idleman, who died on Sept. 28, 2023; and a grandson, Adam White, who died on Aug. 9, 2024.

She also was preceded in death by her three sisters, Virginia Beaulieu, Marilyn Hoover and Doris Thomas.

Survived by two daughters, Marilyn White of Vallejo, CA and Cydne Valenzano of Clarksburg, CA; nine grandchildren; Nick White, Meridith Harborth, Robert White, Natalie White, Jessica Stevens, Dominic Fawcett, Morgan Manley, Jesse Manley, and Beau Manley; 12 great-grandchildren, Isabelle Noriega, Scarlett Noriega, Cruz Noriega, Harley Noriega and Katie Noriega; Bailey Harborth and Brooke Harborth; Stormie White, Dakota White, Kade White and Amelia White; and June Rodda-Manley; and one great-great-granddaughter, Avanna Alulalove Lenares.

A funeral will be held on April 19, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at Mount Vernon Memorial Park and Mortuary., 8201 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks, CA 95628. If you are unable to attend the service in person, you can join us here at: https://evt.live/karlene-idleman