Arlene J. Walters, 84

Arlene Walters was born in Corydon, Iowa, on Aug. 17, 1938. She passed away peacefully on Jan. 17, 2023, in Whitefish.

Until dementia sidelined her, she lived a full and active life alongside her husband, Fred. They met and married in the territory of Alaska 64 years ago. She was also loved by her children, Michael, Sandra and Janet, and a wide circle of family members, friends and beloved pets.

Her journey from Iowa to Montana was a long and fascinating one. Arlene’s father, James Hellyer, was a construction supervisor on Wake Island just as World War II had gotten underway. When Pearl Harbor happened, he was taken as a P.O.W. by the Japanese and spent the war in prison camps in China and Japan. Meanwhile, his family was notified that he had been killed.

Stateside, Arlene’s mother remarried and Arlene did not have the opportunity to reconnect with her father until 1978. They enjoyed many happy times together until his death in 2002.

In the interim, Arlene’s family moved extensively throughout the United States, finally landing in the native villages of Aniak, Nome and Kotzebue in Alaska.

From there, Arlene attended the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where she graduated as a teacher. It’s also where she met and married Fred and subsequently started their family.

Fred became a civil engineer and the family moved to various towns and villages throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. In 1975, Fred was offered a job on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia and Arlene, always one for adventure, jumped at the chance and was the catalyst for their eventual move. The family spent nearly three years in Indonesia and loved every minute of it.

When they returned to the United States in 1978, they settled in Bellevue, Washington. About a decade later, more opportunities came and Fred and Arlene moved to Atlanta, Georgia, then Boardman, Oregon, finally settling in Kalispell in 2018.

During her life, Arlene worked as a teacher, spent time contributing her talents to several businesses, and even started her own business helping to promote local artists. In Boardman, she became the president of the Chamber of Commerce, joined the Fire Board and was ultimately honored as Citizen of the Year and given a key to the city.

She also spent years volunteering for 4-H and Campfire Girls as a Brownie leader, making a lasting, positive impact on many children.

An avid quilter, Arlene never saw a quilt store she didn’t love. She leaves a legacy of vibrant, handcrafted quilts to her family.

Notably, throughout her life, Arlene loved animals. She surrounded herself with quite a menagerie at all times, including a rescued owl, cats, dogs, donkeys horses, birds, fish, gerbils and a hornbill.

Known for her wonderful sense of humor and infectious laugh, Arlene was a well-loved wife, mother, friend and family member.

She is survived by Fred; her three children and their spouses, Michael and Sydney Walters of Bellevue, Washington; Sandra and Perry Payne of Los Angeles; and Janet and George Bristol of Whitefish; plus seven grandchildren; two great-grandchildren on the way; and her sister, Thirza Zagelow and husband, Dick; along with many nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Humane Society of Northwest Montana.