Obituary of Arlene Barnett

The Barnett-Kent-Bendavid clan bids farewell to their beloved sister, wife, mother and grandmother, Arlene Barnett.  Arlene was very special to all.  Arlene was a loving and giving spouse to William for 63 years.  They met at age 15 and knew they’d be together forever by the time they were 19 years old.  While bickering was their way of life, it was apparent that they adored each other til the very end.

Arlene is survived by her 2 older brothers, Richard and Marvin whom she looked up to for decades.  Her sister, Rhoda, predeceased her.  Arlene’s 3 children, Lisa, Ellen and Jason, and Jason’s wife Suzy feel so very fortunate to have had her in their lives and as their mentor.  She was a fabulous listener, a caring coach, an unquestioning advocate and supporter, and an enduring friend.  Nobody could’ve been a better mom throughout all the stages of life.  Arlene sought to make life balanced, productive, easy and loving for her children.  She even documented her final wishes which we will honor as part of her celebration of life.

Arlene’s 10 grandchildren:  Joshua, Allison, Maya, Nathan, Coby, Noah, Jesse, Matt, Gabe and Talia are all heartbroken.  Their “Gumma” was an incredibly important part of everyone’s life and will be missed.

As a professional, Arlene led the way.  While initially a teacher, early in the 1970’s she became a successful entrepreneur.  When she decided to pursue her Masters, she became a grief counselor and then a guidance counselor for teens. She was the mentor and a surrogate parent for many underprivileged teens over the years.  She pivoted to head up the New York Organ Donor Network’s donor family services for the last decades of her work life.  She was a valued member of the organ donor community, helping to educate health care professionals and donors alike.  She helped shepherd the donor family quilt around the country to build awareness of the importance of organ donation and to recognize those who donated.  For this reason, we are asking that any donations in her name be directed to organ donation education at:  https://www.liveonny.org/donate/donation/.  Of course, there’s no question she’d want to remind everyone to register as an organ donor too.

A memorial service will be held on Friday December 9th at 1pm at the Eden Memorial Chapels. For more information please call 201-947-3336