Arlene F. Nilles, 89

Arlene F. Nilles

July 20, 1934~October 21, 2023

Arlene Nilles, 89 1/2 years old, formerly from Sigourney, Iowa, passed away on October 21, 2023, in her home in Hudson FL.

Born to Armand and RosaElla Phillips, Arlene grew up in What Cheer and graduated from high school in 1951.  In school, she played basketball, was a straight-A student, excelled in math, and was the Homecoming queen.

She married Neil Nilles, and to this union two children were born, Monte and Shelley. They later divorced. She then met her companion of 34 years, Ray (Paduke) Snakenberg, and they made a life together in Sigourney until his death in 2003.  In 2012, Arlene moved to Florida to spend the last 13 years with companion David Richard. They spent their winters in Florida and their summers at their lake home in Iowa.

Arlene had a long-time working career. She began working when she was a teenager, and then later worked as a US Census taker. In 1968, she started working in the Keokuk County Treasurer’s office and then was appointed County Treasurer in 1971. She held that position (which included campaigning and running for the office) for five elections until she retired in 1992. Finding that retirement wasn’t that much fun, she worked at Dollar General, at her church as a secretary, and at Sloan-Mohr Monument Company as an office manager. Retirement for real came in 2012 at the age of 78. 

Spending time with her family, hosting family and friends in her home, and shopping were some of her favorite things to do. As her children were growing up, she supported them in their interests and enjoyed attending their activities, especially the many, many ball games.

Arlene could find humor in almost any situation and was quick to laugh and smile, making every gathering a fun one. In her later years she loved playing golf (self-taught) and designing, renovating, and decorating homes with her partner David.

Arlene is survived by her partner, David Richard of Hudson, FL; son Monte (Marcia) Nilles of What Cheer, and their daughter Mari Ann (Owen) Heires of Cedar Rapids; Shelley (Rich) Hornung of Madrid, Iowa, and their sons Jay Hornung of Onalaska WI and Tim Hornung of Madrid; brother Donald Phillips of What Cheer; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and good friends.

She was a kind soul and will be missed by many. 

Graveside services at Pleasant Grove Cemetery will be on Saturday, November 4 at 11:30 a.m. with lunch to follow at Sigourney United Methodist Church.