Arlene Spencer Hanson was born in rented rooms in Paris, Idaho, on April 17, 1936, and passed away on January 20, 2019, at her home in Fruit Heights, Utah, after a long and fierce battle with age-related diseases. She leaves behind a legacy of love and laughter and her absence is keenly felt by those who cherished her. Arlene was the second of six children born to the late Thomas H. and Jean Reinhold Spencer.
Arlene knew poverty during her youth, but she was also whip smart and had a unique gift for problem solving; she did not let her humble beginnings define her life. In 1956, Arlene eloped with her high school sweetheart, Edward Hanson. Both Ed and Arlene worked equally hard to put him through college in Pocatello.
If they both could have walked at graduation, it would have more accurately reflected the teamwork they put into his degree. Dad married up and we are grateful that he persisted and convinced her, over her parents’ objections, to join forces with him in marriage and life. Arlene always worked full-time to help support her growing family as they welcomed five children into their lives.
When the “little boys” were born so closely together, it made more sense for Arlene to stay at home for a few years and she really shined in that role. Arlene was a troop leader, den mother, room mother, and the neighborhood fun mother. Arlene could plan and pack for a family of seven, one or two still in diapers, for a ten-day wilderness adventure without breaking a sweat: Mom’s organizational skills are legendary.
When Arlene returned to the workforce in 1972, her co-workers at Management & Training Corporation became like a second family to her. She rose from a job in the secretarial pool to become the corporate vice-president of educational services at the time of her retirement. More important to Arlene than her own professional accomplishments, were the successes of her colleagues, who she lifted, inspired and encouraged during her career.
Arlene traveled extensively for work and she loved her MTC family from Philadelphia to the Marshall Islands. We want to thank her MTC family for recognizing and rewarding her talents. When Ed and Arlene finally retired, they got serious about seeing more of the world and traveled as often, and as far and for as long as they could stand to be away from their grandchildren.
Arlene’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren filled her with pride. Watching them grow and become good young people, starting their own families and careers, added immeasurable joy to her life. Arlene was preceded in death by her husband Ed, her brothers James and Tom Spencer and great-grandson Jackson Vance.
She is survived by her children Max (Bettie), Marji, Garth (Sharla), Glenn and Clark (Jennifer), her siblings Elaine (John) Daines, Fay (James) Roberts and Dennis (Lois) Spencer, sisters-in-law Dorothy and Carol Spencer, her sister-of-the heart Jolene (Greg) Sparks, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Friends and family are welcome to share stories at a celebration of Arlene’s life, along with breakfast for dinner, on Friday, January 25, 2019, between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. at Grannie Annie’s banquet center, 286 North 400 West, Kaysville, Utah. Arlene would insist upon donations to the American Heart Association, or charity of your choice, in lieu of sending flowers.
Services entrusted to Lindquist’s Kaysville Mortuary, 400 North Main.
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