This is the life story of Arlene Pearl Clark. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri. on February 11, 1948, to James and Edna Martin. Her father named her after Arlene Dahl, who was a silent movie screen star. The family had one more daughter named Marilyn Jane, who passed away from cancer at the age of 19.
While attending Whittier Elementary School, Arlene played the accordion and competed in the accordion playoffs in Topeka, Kansas. She received a certificate for scoring a 97 out of 100 for the song “Lady of Spain”. She went on to graduate from Raytown South High School and attended Southwest Baptist College in Bolivar, Missouri. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, she only attended two years before coming back to Kansas City.
She became very involved with Eastwood Hills Baptist Church where she joined the choir and took singing lessons. Soon, everyone recognized her talents as a soprano and asked her to sing at weddings, funerals, and other events that took place at the church.
Shortly after, she met her husband, Arthur and started a family that consisted of two sons, Michael and Matthew, along with a daughter, Wendy. The couple stayed together for thirty years before they divorced.
In 1975, she moved her family's membership to Norfleet Baptist Church. She learned sign language and socialized with the deaf for eight years. Arlene became the interpreter for the deaf and signed every church service and event. She was also a mediator for couples having problems and a counselor for the deaf at church. She also joined the choir and was a preschool teacher for the youngest church members. She was a member of Norfleet for 49 years.
When not at church, she worked at the Federal Building in downtown Kansas City Missouri as the interpreter for the deaf. She helped them with interviews, meetings, and performance reviews when deemed necessary. She also worked for an office of hearing and appeals as a receptionist to seven judges and interpreted for the deaf whenever needed. After 9 years, her mother fell ill, she resigned from the government and took care of her til her death. When Arlene returned to the workforce, she became a secretary for the Marine Corps at Richard Gebaur Airforce Base. She worked there for eleven years.
Arlene took a job at Longview Community College as a secretary for Joyce Kuhn, who was a professor of speech and theater. Professor Kuhn was the director of several plays and recognized the acting potential in Arlene. She starred in over 56 plays performing them live on stage and had many adoring fans who only came to see her performance.
Personally, Arlene was a very dramatic lady. Her facial expressions whenever she sang or acted made many people fall in love with her. She thrived on attention and was generous to her friends she called sister. Her creativity soared when she designed colorful bracelets for the residents and staff at the nursing home where she resided. Arlene met a woman named Mary, a resident at the nursing home, who could no longer see the words in the book. So, with a joyful heart, she read for her; acting out all the parts with her voice. She loved cats and the good things in life.
Arlene Pearl Clark died on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at the Kingswood Senior Living Community Center. She became a Christian when she was 9 years old and still remembered the calling of the Lord when He touched her heart. The song was “Just As I Am” when she walked down the aisle of the church to proclaim to all she loved Jesus. Her family and friends know she will be in heaven singing happily in a choir of angels. And though we may weep for the loss of this beautiful lady, our sorrow will turn into a happy joy when we rejoin Arlene (sister, mother, friend) with Christ in heaven.
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