ARLENE C. GANEM of Methuen, MA died on January 5th, 2013, at the age of 89, after a brief illness.
Arlene was born in Methuen on June 6th, 1923, the daughter of Fatima and Elias Corey, both loving parents who ran successful independent businesses. Arlene attended St. Laurence elementary school and St. Mary’s High School. She attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1944 with a major in romance languages.
Shortly thereafter, Arlene married Dr. Emil J. Ganem, a prominent urologist in the greater Boston area with a thriving medical and surgical practice in the Merrimack Valley. They settled in a spacious home on Pleasant Street in Methuen, where Arlene devoted herself to family life with her husband and three children. Family meant everything to Arlene, and Pleasant Street was the site of frequent gatherings and reunions that also included her mother, her siblings, her aunt Naciby and uncle John Saba, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Arlene enjoyed traveling with her husband to medical meetings and other conventions around the world. Like her mother and sister, Arlene loved fashion, and accompanied the two whenever she could to New York and the West Coast on buying trips for The Vogue, a distinctive women’s boutique on Broadway in Lawrence. Arlene also took an active interest in civic affairs and was an avid gardener. A meticulous planner, gourmet-level cook and diligent homemaker, Arlene also maintained the family’s second home in Salisbury for many years, making it a welcoming spot for family gatherings during the summer season.
Arlene took great pride in her family’s accomplishments, and enjoyed being actively involved in her children’s activities and pursuits. Always supportive and never one to shirk from adversity, Arlene was also a devoted caregiver, both to her husband and her sister during their prolonged illnesses late in life.
Arlene is survived by her brother, Elias J. Corey and his family, her two sons: Bruce, of Ithaca, NY, and Donald, of San Francisco, CA, and a daughter, Arlene, of Atlanta, GA, and two granddaughters, Alison and Natalie Ganem.
Friends will honor and celebrate Arlene’s life with a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Anthony Maronite Church, 145 Amesbury St., Lawrence on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 10 AM. Friends may call at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence St., Methuen on Monday, January 7 between the hours of 4 PM and 8 PM. Those who wish to make a memorial contribution in her memory are kindly asked to consider Holy Family Hospital, 70 East St., Methuen, MA 01844 or Lawrence General Hospital, 1 General St., Lawrence, MA 01841. For directions or to share a condolence with the Ganem family, please visit us online at www.pollardfuneralhome.com or at Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home on Facebook. Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is honored to assist the Ganem family with arrangements.