Arleen F. Kight

Arleen Francis Kight

8.27.45 ~ 4.30.22

On the last Saturday of April, Arleen Francis Kight was finally freed of the mind and body that had slowly turned against her, and she went straight to Heaven to rejoin the love of her life, Larry, after 11 long years without him.

She was 76 years old, having been born on August 27, 1945 to Yvonne and Herman Alsheimer of East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. She was their fourth child - after Jo Anne, Lee, and Diane - and before Mya and Denise.

When she was only 16, she met a dashing young sailor - a friend of a friend of her sister, Diane - on a blind date. He had just come back home to Massachusetts from his first pre-com detail on the USS Constellation in New York. The curly-haired teen and the almost 20-year-old young man fell hard for each other. With permission from Yvonne and Herman, Arleen married Lawrence William Kight on October 22, 1962 at the Church of St. John in E. Bridgewater.

For nearly 50 years, Arleen and Larry were only separated by Navy-mandated stints. She waited for him while he served in the Vietnam War on the USS Preble as a radar tech, living with her beloved Uncle Leo and Aunt Joanne in California. Their first son, Alan Lawrence Kight, was born there on September 7, 1966, when Arleen was 21 and just days after Larry turned 24.

Larry and Arleen were then sent to Great Lakes, Illinois by the Navy where their second son, Joseph Edmund Kight, was born on January 30, 1969. Their third son, Brian Paul Kight, followed on June 5, 1970. Great Lakes was no joke in the winter and Arleen recalled that ice would even build up on the inside of their trailer home walls!

In 1971, they were stationed in the much-balmier city of Norfolk, Virginia in a wonderful little ranch home on Dominion Avenue where Arleen raised her boys and entertained friends and family. In 1980, when Larry was now an officer, the family moved to Virginia Beach to 3909 Rumford Lane in Thalia Manor, across the street from Juanita and Harry Baird, who soon became their fast friends.

Arleen had many jobs over the years - seamstress, cashier, Certified Nurseryman, assembly line worker - but none were more important than being a mom to Alan, Joe & Bo. After Larry retired from the Navy, he started his own business, Southeastern Repair, and Arleen eventually became the office manager.

She gained a daughter-in-law in 1992 when Joe married Cyndi. In 1996, she gained another daughter-in-law when Brian and Debbie married. Arleen took on her new role as Nana with great excitement and pride, doting on all seven of the grandbabies - Nicholas, Amanda, Hannah, Dylan, Sara, Sophia and Matthew.

Arleen’s heart was shattered when Larry died of lung cancer on April 12, 2011. She never stopped loving and missing him, even though Alzheimer’s disease eventually stole away her memories and her independence.

While we miss her, we know that she is with Dad/BopBop now and that makes us very happy. Rest in love and peace, Mom/Nana.

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