Arlene Clemens

Arlene Clemens, age 92, of Marshalltown, formerly of Garwin, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 under the care of Iowa River Hospice. Funeral services for Arlene will take place Tuesday, December 15 at 11:00 A.M. at Mitchell Family Funeral Home, followed by burial at Rose Hill Memorial Garden. A visitation will be held Monday, December 14 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Attendees are required to wear masks and practice social distancing guidelines. For those unable to attend, the service will be available on the Mitchell Family Funeral Home Facebook page. Memorials may be directed to Iowa River Hospice. For additional questions or condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Born Arlene Dorothy Helleso on February 17, 1928 in Garwin, she was the daughter of Everett and Helen (Jensen) Helleso. She attended Garwin Community Schools and graduated with the class of 1945. On June 18, 1946 in Kansas, Arlene was united in marriage to Byron Eugene Clemens.   Arlene worked as a bookkeeper for Brenton Bank from 1966 until her retirement in 1991. During that time she also worked twenty years as the treasurer for Garwin Community Schools and made many school board contributions. In retirement, many came to know Arlene as the Deli Hostess at Hy-Vee, where she worked from 1994 until 2013. Arlene loved music, herself a gifted musician who could play anything by ear. She enjoyed dancing, singing, camping and crocheting. Arlene especially enjoyed her time as a member of the Square Dance Club of Central Iowa and the Community Theatre. She was also a member of the Garwin Fire Department Women’s Auxiliary. Arlene has a wonderful family and a huge network of friends who will deeply miss her caring and generous spirit. Left to cherish her memory are her children: Charlene (Clint) Coon of Waukee, Debra (Steve) Locker of Nevada, William (Becky) Clemens of Cedar Falls and Lori (Scott) McLain of Marshalltown; 13 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson. In death, Arlene is reunited with her loving husband, Byron; her parents; great-great-grandson Isaiah Coon and her brother, Don Helleso.