Arlene Poling D'Arienzo
12/23/34 - 11/25/20
Arlene Poling D’Arienzo passed away on November 25, 2020. Her journey took her from Brooklyn to Forest Hills to Manhattan and Southampton. Beloved wife of Dr. Nicholas D’Arienzo. Cherished mother of Nicholas, Carmel and Dr. Peter and Lizabeth D’Arienzo. Adored Grandma “Lolly” of Isabella and Matthew. Fond sister of Marilyn Miglio and Lucille and John Tymann. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Arlene was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 1934, the eldest daughter of Richard Poling and Grace Poling, née Piro. She attended Washington Irving High School and earned her way to Cooper Union, one of the first in her neighborhood — a woman! — to earn a scholarship to college. The talents she demonstrated at Cooper Union got her invited to do graphic and design work for high-profile magazines like Family Circle at the height of the “Mad Men” era.
In 1955, on the steps of her beloved Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church just down the street from her home, Arlene met a young medical student named Nicholas D’Arienzo, as captivated by his wit and maturity as she was by his piercing blue eyes. They would wed in 1960 within the very hallowed halls of the church that bore witness to their meeting and subsequently built a life together in Forest Hills, Queens.
From her first exhibition of paintings on Broome Street in SoHo to her most recent one on Main Street in Southampton, Arlene developed a reputation for poignant family portraits and evocative landscapes, appreciated by those fortunate enough to have one in their possession. Arlene was a proud alum of the Art Students League, where she received multiple awards in their Red Dot competitions over the years. Her artistic passion also fueled the creation of an art therapy program at the Ozanam Nursing Home, stagecraft for the annual Vacation Bible Schools at Our Lady of Mercy Church, and the beloved summer destination of her nieces and nephews, Camp Darien, Southampton. Due to COVID-19 social distancing regulations, the funeral services were private. A Celebration of Arlene’s life will take place at a later date. Charitable donations in her memory can be made to the East End Hospice, PO Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 or www.eeh.org
Mass of Christian Burial
November 28th, 2020
Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Church
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
For a Replay of the Full Mass, Go to
https://mountcarmel-annunciation.com/live-masss/
and scroll until you get to the Funeral from 9 am on Nov. 28th
Eulogy by Nick D'Arienzo
LOST NO MORE
by Arlene Poling D'Arienzo
In the darkness shines a light
Move towards it without fright
It will guide you on the path
Called lost no more
If you are there, lend an ear
Hear the cry, feel the pain
Only you who are so kind
Can brush away this veil of tears
Interview with Arlene Poling D'Arienzo
November 28th, 2015
“One of the best parts of creating art is when you give your work over to your intuition and just do, I believe it’s called flow. It seems as if the drawing drew itself and the painting did the same. If you are wise you’ll let it take over. Before I begin work I walk around outdoors. The bay, the inlets, the farms, the sky, the sunsets are all my subject matter. I refer to my sketchbooks filled with landscape ideas all the while thinking of essence and composition. I look to my heroes, the painters of light and atmosphere, choosing color. Thinking less is more and also minimizing everything to the essential, but do not remove the poetry. Hoping all goes well, I finally begin."