Obituary of Arlene S. Doern

Arlene S Smith December 23, 1950 - February 2, 2016 Arlene was born at an Army base near Frankfurt, Germany, to Richard and Beth (Davis) Smith, on December 23, 1950. Her father was an Army officer, so after leaving Germany, she lived in Sacramento, California, Lakewood, Washington, Kagnew Station, Ethiopia (near Asmara), and Fort Lee, Virginia, before returning in 1963 to her parents’ home town, Ellensburg, Washington. She graduated in 1969 from Ellensburg High School and then worked at Jerrol’s Book Store while attending Central Washington State College. She received a Bachelor’s degree and a Masters’ degree in Psychology at CWSC and moved to Vancouver, Washington, in 1975. Dan and Arlene married May 20, 1978, in Vancouver where they lived most of their married life. They enjoyed the outdoors, including white water rafting, hiking, camping, and gardening. Their love for traveling took them to New Zealand, Costa Rica and finally Bucerias, Mexico, where they built their dream home. She was a member of the beta sigma phi sisters, where she became active in community service. Her career, in human resources, started at Clark County Corrections, then International Air Academy, and Cox Cable, before retiring from CTran as Director of Administrative Services. Arlene also served many years on the Board for Vancouver’s Children’s Center. Arlene was preceded in death by her father, Richard Smith; and her mother, Beth (Davis) Smith. She is survived by her husband, Dan Doern (Vancouver, WA); brother, Kenneth Smith (Bellingham, WA); stepdaughters, Dannelle (DJ) Carlson (Duvall, WA) and Karyn Underwood (Vancouver, WA); son-in-law, Brian Carlson (Duvall, WA); and three grandchildren, Andrew and Rose Carlson (Duvall, WA), and Luke Underwood (Vancouver, WA). Arlene had a strong love for animals. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent either to the Humane Society for SW Washington 1100 NE 192nd Ave, Vancouver, WA 98684 http://southwesthumane.org or to the Purr Project No-Kill Feline Rescue Shelter in Puerto Vallarta http://www.purrproject.com. She also wanted to raise awareness about the importance of becoming an organ donor. At her request there will be no service.