Arlene Jane Wiemers Richardson

Arlene Jane Wiemers Richardson, 92, of College Station, Texas passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 2, 2023.

Arlene's life journey began on August 26, 1931, in her parent's home in San Antonio, Texas. She was the second of four daughters born to Emil Dietrich and Hulda Jane Muennink Wiemers. She attended public schools in San Antonio and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in May, 1949. Arlene joined the Rainbow Girls at age 13 and was installed as Worthy Advisor in 1948. In September of 1949, she entered Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and was active in many organizations including Delta Zeta Sorority, Methodist Student Movement, the "Y", Iota Epsilon (Honorary Home Economics Sorority), and was on the Dean's List all four years. She graduated in May of 1953 with a BS degree in Home Economics and a minor in Sociology.

In November of 1951, Arlene had a blind date to the Texas A&M/SMU football game with Howard Edgar Richardson, Jr. (introduced to her as “Chick”).  After three weekend dates, they “decided it was for keeps” and went steady for a year and a half before they married on July 11, 1953, in the Youth Chapel of Travis Park Methodist Church in San Antonio.

During their marriage, they did a lot of moving with Chick’s military and civilian careers. Their first move was to College Station, so that Chick could finish his degree at A&M. Arlene worked as a secretary to the Dean of Aeronautical Engineering at Texas A&M from August 1953 through January of 1954. While stationed at Scott AFB, Gary Howard Richardson was born on July 1954 in Bellville, IL, and then in January 1957 while stationed in Germany, Denise Arlene Richardson was born in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany. Every place they lived, Arlene served the family as wife, mother and homemaker. In addition to Texas, Illinois, and Germany, they lived in Tennessee, Nebraska, Kansas and Arizona. Upon returning to Texas, they settled in Dickinson. When Chick took early retirement in 1987, he and Arlene moved to Yancey, Texas where they built a home and enjoyed a cattle operation for 15 years on land that had been previously owned by Arlene’s maternal family.  They sold the ranch in 2002 and spent the following years traveling full-time in their motorhome across the US, making many friends along the way. In 2005, they returned to the College Station & Bryan area and enjoyed being near family once again.

Arlene was a homemaker most of her life, but in addition to her job at A&M, she worked part time as a Beauty Counselor and bookkeeper for the Merle Norman Studio in Dickinson, TX from 1975 until 1980. She enjoyed gardening, crafts, and handwork. While traveling, she crocheted an afghan for each of her children and grandchildren and made one king-sized cathedral quilt. While she and Chick lived at Arbor Oaks Methodist Retirement Community, Arlene completed her “first and last” oil painting in 2013, with only six lessons.

As an infant, Arlene was baptized in the Prospect Hill Methodist Church, and was confirmed in Travis Park Methodist Church, both in San Antonio. She remained active all of her life, transferring her membership each time they moved. She held many offices in the church, as well as in the Women's Society of Christian Service and The United Methodist Women where she was District Treasurer of the Houston East District UMW in the Texas Conference. As a member of the New Fountain United Methodist Church in Hondo, TX, she was the only member who was a direct descendant of two charter member families, Frederick and Antje Muennink and John and Aalke Wiemers. 

Arlene was predeceased by her husband of almost 70 years, Chick; her parents; sisters and spouses Nelda (Jack) Hastings, Shirley (Mark) Delk, and Gayle Wiemers. She is survived by her son Gary (Monica) Richardson, daughter Denise (Dave) Bailey; grandchildren Jessica (Pete) Koeneman, Justin (Jill) Richardson, Julia Richardson, Michelle (Landon) Cooksey; great grandchildren Kirby, Cole and Maggie Richardson, Noah, Jake, Caleb and Grace Koeneman, and Jack and Sam Cooksey; and Nan Richardson, sister-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to New Fountain Methodist Church, or New Fountain Cemetery Perpetual Care, both at 2980 FM 2676, Hondo, Texas 78861.

A burial service will be at New Fountain Cemetery in Hondo, Texas, at a future date.