Arlene Perry Shade

Arlene Sophia Ethel Shade (Perry), age 90, left the bonds of earth on April 27, 2013 at Mesilla Valley Hospice in Las Cruces. She was born November 8, 1922, in Gaza, O'Brien County, Iowa, on a farm owned by Dr. Johnson, who attended her birth. She was the oldest of three children born to Charles Austin Perry and Matilda Marie (Menke). Robert and Arlene were members of the Evangelical and Reform German Lutheran Church at Calumet, Iowa. Arlene graduated from Gaza Consolidated High School in 1940, where she enjoyed cheerleading, basketball and saxophone. She attended Morningstar College, Sioux City, IA, and earned her nursing degree at St. Luke's Lutheran Nursing School in 1944. During WWII, student nurses were provided transportation to regular dances at the military base, where she excelled at the Jitterbug. She married Robert Guth Shade April 29, 1945, and began her life as homemaker and career woman. Her nursing career began as an instructor at St. Luke's and she retired in 1987 as a Nursing Home Administrator at Cherokee Village, Iowa. During her career she also worked as a floor nurse, in a doctor's office, as Director of Nursing, and as a traveling recruiter for a nursing home. The Shade family moved several times in pursuit of better opportunities. They established homes and became active members of the community in Des Moines, Iowa, Desmet, South Dakota, Raymond, Colorado, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Their first child, Randy, was born with Down syndrome, leading the young couple to become advocates for the rights of disabled children in the Des Moines area. Arlene worked tirelessly with the Iowa State Legislature and was a founding member of the Rose Ladies, an organization providing oversight for the welfare of children at the state school at Woodward, Iowa. Together they helped the lives of disabled children expand from dark institutions to group homes offering independent living. In Des Moines, the congregation of the Emanuel Methodist Church was welcoming to a family with a disabled child, and became an important part of their family life. Arlene and Bob enjoyed a long retirement together, full of travel and involvement with different churches, organizations, communities, and family. She enjoyed being part of the Friday morning coffee group called "Women of the Gate" held at "Josefina's" Cafe in Mesilla. The group first gathered in 2006 to mourn the passing of Kitty Phillips Schaefer. She is survived by her husband, Robert, daughter Laurie, son-in-law Dean Neff, grandchildren Luke, Paul, and Ian, Kay's daughter Christy Ann Tippery, and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her two brothers, Robert and Vernell Perry, and three of her children, Jane Renee Shade-Bieu, Randall Lee Shade, and Kay Diane Shade. A memorial service is set for Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 2:00 PM at Getz Funeral Home, Pastor Sam Ritchey, of Wellspring Church, presiding. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Mesilla Valley Hospice, or Wellspring Church. Arlene's dynamic, fun-loving, and charming personality will be greatly missed. PDF Printable Version