Arlene B. Gurnee
July 30, 1945 - May 29, 2026
Arlene B. Gurnee, age 80, of Middletown, DE, passed away on Friday, May 29, 2026. Born on July 30, 1945 in Newark, NJ, she was the daughter of the late Martin and Bertha (Gelber) Alban.
She spent her formative years in Hillside, NJ, graduating from Hillside High School in 1963. Post high school she was a model in Manhattan, NY, and then held several secretarial positions culminating as an executive secretary to the chairman of the board of Marathon Oil Company.
In 1975, she married her husband, Bill. They settled in Cranford, NJ, where her parents owned the local hardware store. She and Bill purchased Deb n’ Heir Children’s Store in 1979 and operated it for 9 years before moving on to other career opportunities. During that time, Arlene gave birth to twins, Lauren and Brett, in 1981. She was a fantastic mom and took loving care of her children.
The bulk of her remaining work life was spent at Jamison, an insurance brokerage company, culminating as their convention coordinator. During her time at Jamison she attended college at night, first receiving an associate’s degree in gerontology from Union County College, then a bachelor’s degree with honors (cum laude) in sociology from Kean University in 2010.
She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and sister. In addition to her parents, Arlene was preceded in death by her son, Brett in 2016. She is survived by her loving husband of 51 years, Bill; daughter, Lauren; grandsons, Jacob and Noah Gurnee; and brother, Bruce Alban.
All services will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Arlene’s name to Compassionate Care Hospice of Delaware, LLC, 111 Continental Drive, Suite 407, Newark, DE 19713.
Roger & Carolyn Frederick
Bill,
We hold you and your family in our prayers as you remember and celebrate Arlene. May God’s grace lift and sustain you all.
Deena M. Johnson & Family
I worked with Arlene at Jamison for several years and always found her to be cheerful and thoughtful. May your memories of Her lift your spirits. Our condolences and prayers are with her family and friends. Our hearts go out to you.
Deena Johnson and Family
The Coakley-Pecoraro-Zambell family
Dear Mr. Gurnee, Lauren, Jay, Melissa, Jacob and Noah– We are so terribly saddened by the passing of Mrs. Gurnee and send all our love to you all. It is comforting to us to think that maybe that Brett and Arlene are having a wonderful reunion as we write this. Arlene was a beautiful woman who we remember very fondly and we send all our love and condolences at this difficult time. We will remember Arlene fondly. With all our love and hugs, Kathy, Josephine, Deb, Chris, Keet, Martin, Bobby, Bob, Claire and the whole Coakley family.
Amy De Angelis
Dear Lauren and family,
I am so sad to hear about the passing of your mom. I have nice childhood memories of your mom from when you, Manda and Kathy were growing up together. You know me, Manda and our whole family are here to support you always, whatever you need. Sending hugs, Amy De Angelis (and the whole Frantz family)
Jo Reed
Bill and Lauren, no words can express my sadness of the passing of Arlene, she will be sadly missed, what great times we’ve shared. I met Arlene when she moved to the Springmill community , We immediately hit it off. Arlene was a social bug, She knew more people here in six months than I knew in 6 years ! I will always know her as Buckwheat, I’m so glad our lives had crossed paths , things I will always remember about Buckwheat, her favorite color Fuchsia( hot pink), every time I see that color I always think of her, she loved her pocketbooks, We’ve been on many adventures pocketbook shopping with her🥰. the trip we took to Vermont, we had the best time with the greatest group of girls that we hung out with . the weather was marvelous, and the company was even better, these are the things I will always remember and cherish. , or the trip she and I took to Dover, Delaware and ended up getting caught in a snowstorm! so many great times we had together hanging out. Arlene was a great cook, she shared a lot of her recipes. Best oatmeal cookies ever came from her kitchen! I still have not mastered her recipe. Buckwheat will be sorely missed, but I am grateful to have the memories and the times shared with her, just wish we had made more memories. sending hugs and strength To Bill, Lauren and family