Arlene Mary Sweet

Arlene Mary (Blomquist) Sweet passed away of natural causes on December 23, 2021 at Iowa Methodist Hospital. She was surrounded by family and was aware, active, and engaged until close to her passing. She was living in her own home and driving her car to her activities until her sudden passing.

Arlene was born March 1, 1931 in the rural area of Menlo, Iowa. Her parents were Reuben John Blomquist and Edith Mary (Hicks) Blomquist.

Arlene graduated from Menlo Consolidated High School in May of 1948 and attended Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa from 1948 to 1950. Arlene worked in Des Moines, Iowa until 1951 when she married Orrin M. Sweet at the First United Methodist Church in Des Moines on December 27. Orrin and Arlene made their home in Aurelia, Iowa until 1983 working together at the family-owned business of Sweet Locker and Meat Processing.

After Orrin became disabled, Arlene took a position at the Cherokee County Auditor’s office and began attending evening accounting classes at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. With the assistance of financial aid, Arlene began full-time classes and graduated at the age of 52. She then began work with the Iowa Department of Revenue as an auditor in Council Bluffs. In 1985, she transferred to the Des Moines office and continued traveling as an auditor until she accepted a promotion as a Taxpayer Service Specialist. Arlene enjoyed helping people and continued in this job until retirement at age 79.

Away from the office, Arlene considered gardening as therapy for her soul. She spent many hours landscaping her home garden which was certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. When in Aurelia, she belonged to a lifelong pinochle club and remained friends with the club members the remainder of her life. She played duplicate bridge when living in Des Moines and was proud of the points she earned.

She was the loving mother of Diane Mary Sweet and Donna Melanie Sweet. She cherished her niece and nephews and their families.

Arlene is survived by her cherished daughter, Diane, her niece Vicki Lowe (Dan), nephew Mark Blomquist (Heidi), nephew Kevin Blomquist, and their families. She is survived by friends and cousins who were special to her as well.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Orrin, daughter Donna, her brother Robert and sister-in-law Wanda, brother Dean, and her parents.

A Celebration of Life will be held January 28, 2022 from 1 PM to 3 PM at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines with remarks about her at 1:30 PM. Arlene’s cremains will be interred in the spring in her memory bench located on a wooded hill overlooking the pond at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines.

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