Arlene Ortiz

Arlene Ortiz passed away on January 27, 2023 in Brea, CA. She is survived by her loving husband, Rene Ortiz, her four children; Johnine, Heidi, Sally and Jeff, her seven grandchildren: Brandi, Ryan, Chris, Jordan, Tyffanie, Jake and Elyse and her two great grandchildren; Cameron and Aurora as well as her brother, Joe Black. Arlene was born on October 9 1945, to Henrietta and Joe Black in Los Angeles, CA. She was the oldest of four children and the only girl. She had a zest for life, family, friends and was a daddy’s girl. She graduated from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera in 1963, where she met the love of her life, Rene, at 17 years old. They were married in 1966 at St. Mariana De Paredes church in Pico Rivera. They moved to Texas while Rene was in the Navy and they had their first-born daughter, Johnine They moved back to Pico Rivera, where they had their next two daughters, Heidi and Sally. They eventually decided to move to Brea to raise their family and finally had their son, Jeff. Arlene was mostly a stay-at-home mom but did have a few jobs as her kids started to grow up. She loved being around people and would seek out jobs that allowed her to make people laugh and entertain them. Family was always the most important thing and even though she had four children and a husband, the home she built was always open to neighbors, friends and she was the second mom to many of her children's friends. She had a HUGE heart of gold, a love of life and put her family and friends first. It showed in the small gifts/food items she would give out to on a regular basis. Arlene loved the Dallas Cowboys through the good years and the bad and instilled in her kids the love of the Cowboys. They will always be the family team!! She loved to talk and entertain people with her stories, it was her version of exercising. Dancing was her true love outside of her family. She could dance to any song at any time. She was the first person on the dance floor and the last one off. She loved the holidays, especially Christmas and Thanksgiving where she made her specialty, her stuffing! She loved to make Christmas special for every single member of her family, decorate and immerse herself in the holiday for the month of December. She also loved crafting and would make items for her family and friends that came from her heart. Arlene and Rene traveled all over the world seeing amazing sights. They went to England, Ireland, Scotland and Italy along with several cruises to Alaska and Mexico. When Rene retired they joined the Elks Club and she spent many happy years making new friends, going to parties, playing poker and living life to the fullest. One of Arlene's greatest joys was her grandchildren. She loved being Nana to Brandi, Ryan, Chris, Jordan, Tyffanie, Jake and Elyse. They all loved spending time with their Nana. She even got to see her oldest grandchild, Brandi, have two kids, Cameron and Aurora, making her a Great Grandma. Her personal Guardian Angel, Robert, came to take her home to Heaven on January 27th where she was reunited with her Mom, Dad and brother, Jimmy. Now she can breathe deeply, talk all she wants and dance all the time. She will be very missed.

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Arlene Ortiz

October 9, 1945 - January 27, 2023