Hello again! I haven’t 
been able to bring myself to post in a very long time. I apologize for the long hiatus. The last year and half has been very rough , but I’m going to try to get back in the habit of regularly posting and sharing what I know regarding the DeBonis family history. Today’s post is my Mom’s obituary. For the record, I am not posting this to be confrontational. As a Public Historian, I want to ensure that there is an accurate record of my Mom’s life.
I had written my Mom’s obituary before she passed away and she had requested this photograph to be published with her obit. I sent the obituary and this photograph to one of my siblings. This sibling added a paragraph to the obituary, which is fine, however it contained several typos and grammatical errors when it was sent forward to be published. When I asked for a revised obituary to be published, it was not a priority. The photograph that my Mom had requested was also not used.
My Mom had worked as a legal secretary and proper spelling and grammar were both very important to her. My Mom spent many hours proofreading my papers when I was in junior and senior high school. She also proofread papers for others and I have vivid memories of her being shocked at the lack of proper grammar and spelling in some of them.
Because of these memories, I know that she would have been very upset at the official obituary that was published on the funeral home’s website and in the Mansfield News Journal. In an effort to try to correct the spelling and grammatical errors, I submitted a revised obituary to the Yellow Springs News. In an effort to compromise, I included the more modern photograph that had been chosen by another family member.
In addition to the corrected obituary, I would also like to include a link to my Mom’s favorite song, which I requested, (per my Mom’s request), to be played at her memorial service, but it never happened. My Mom loved the song Ave Maria. This was one of the songs sung at her wedding and every time she heard it, it put a smile on her face.
Today, I am posting this as an official record of my Mom’s life, as she wanted it to be recorded.
As published in the Yellow Springs News on December 18, 2014:
Arlene Motter passed away on Dec. 6 after a courageous three year battle with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Arlene was born on Jan. 19, 1935, in Boston, Mass., to Vincent and Catherine (King) DeBonis.
After graduating from Winthrop High School, Arlene worked as a telephone operator. She met Joe Motter while he was stationed at Fort Banks as part of the US Army. Arlene married Joseph Motter on August 22, 1953 in Winthrop, Mass., and the two moved to Ohio to begin their new life together.
In addition to raising four children and being a homemaker, Arlene worked for the Ada Ford Foundation and later The Ohio State University–Mansfield Campus. Arlene enjoyed her miniature Schnauzers and her cat, “Kitty Boy.” She also loved feeding birds and tracking the various kinds that came to feed.
She is survived by her loving husband of 61 years; her children, Steve Motter (Joy) of Bellville, Ohio; Rick Motter (Deborah) of Sanford, N.C.; Kim Ocheltree (Bill) of Bellville, Ohio; and Robin Heise (Mark) of Yellow Springs; along with nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, her brother John DeBonis of Wakefield, N.H., and her sister Cathy Regan of Hull, Mass.
She was preceded in death by her parents Vincent DeBonis and Catherine (King) DeBonis, her sister Jean DeBonis and her brother Robert DeBonis.
Services were held Saturday, Dec. 13, in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home. Private interment was held in Mansfield Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or Hospice of North Central Ohio.