Arlene May Kingsley

Arlene Kingsley was born in San Diego, California on September 27th, 1953 to Donna Lou Hamby and Martin Wayne Blackburn. Born in the military she traveled around until she grew roots in Colorado in 1982. Perseverance and a strong spirit had been methodically etched by God into the essence of this beautiful woman. These characteristics are only gained through overcoming challenges by which her accomplishments display. Delays often came that made her progress slow, but her persistence made both her, and her love, sure and steady. The journey of this woman†™s development started with patience. If you knew Arlene you knew that she loved education and she waited through many trials to obtain it. Often having to hold two jobs to support a family of 5 on a single income, it wasn†™t until the age of 29 that she was able to afford the fees required to obtain her GED. Then, when Arlene began working towards her associate's degree at the age of 34, she was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome due to mercury toxic poisoning. This was a heavy time for her and her children. Down but not out, Arlene rose up to complete her associate's degree at the age of 46 from the Community College of Aurora. And from there she seemed to have found a steady pace that made her efforts unwavering. In 2014, at the age of 60, she received the highest level of education yet to be spoken of in the entire family tree! She rightly earned a Master†™s of Science in Organizational Leadership with Regis University. Even with the diagnosis of cancer, she contemplated obtaining a doctorate! Words cannot express the virtues she embodied. Arlene worked full time while completing school and remaining with the same company, Aurora Mental Health, for 25 years. A testament to her faithful nature came on March 14, 2018, nearly a month before her untimely death when AMH acknowledged her as, †œ…faithful, hardworking, sometimes invisible, sometimes taken for granted, and often overworked. Yet, [she] continued to maintain integrity, attitude, and dedication.†� With so much on her plate she still found time to be a mother of 4, a grandmother to 18, and a great grandmother to 25! She did not have much in her pocket, but she was rich in her heart. She was there for our monumental moments: births, weddings, and graduations. And although, she departed this world with legs that didn†™t work like they used to before, she left walking in faith. Funeral service 12:00pm Friday, April 26, 2018 at Aspen Magnolia Chapel 6580 E. 73rd Ave. Commerce City, Colorado 80022.