Obituary of Arlene Estelle Spoto

Arlene Estelle "Chickie" Spoto (née Sayles) of Baldwinsville, NY, passed away peacefully at McHarrie Pointe on June 5, 2022 at the age of 88. She is predeceased by her devoted husband of 50 years, Anthony (Tony/"Nino") Spoto. Arlene is survived by her six children, Jim (Noreen), Tom (Tammy), Ron (Mary), Sandy (Bill), Bob (Marjorie), and Dianne (Anthony). Arlene had nine grandchildren, Jessica Deets (Chris), Kristen McDonald (Matt), Tommy Callahan, Tony Spoto (Grace), Mike Spoto, Reno McDonald (Allen), Becky Braheney (Tim), Nick Spoto (Ale), Nicki Ackerman, and one great-grandchild, Fiona Deets. She was the beloved sister of John Sayles (Spokane, WA).

A devoted parent, Arlene could be seen with her husband Tony at each and every activity their children participated in. She was a long-time member of the PTA, and involved as a participating parent in countless school activities. A fun-loving, cool, and sometimes sassy mom, Arlene once drove a blue car with blue flames painted on the sides! She lived an incredibly rich life in addition to her role as matriarch. A registered nurse, she once worked a geriatric hospital night shift and assisted surgeons in the O.R. while her children were home in bed fast asleep. Her grown kids often called her "Dr. Mom," since she was the first person they called for pediatric advice as young parents. Arlene's round-the-clock lifestyle may have sparked her well-known love for coffee, which she enjoyed strictly black, no sugar, throughout the day. A founding and cherished member of the St. Augustine's Church congregation in B'ville, Arlene taught CCD and sang in the choir for over forty years (first as alto, then as tenor, and eventually she ended up leading the bass section!). A natural performer, Arlene was an active member of the Baldwinsville Theater Guild, and appeared in many productions, including Camelot and Kiss Me Kate. She loved every genre of music, and her home was filled with it, whether coming from the stereo, the family piano, her voice, or the children practicing instruments. Arlene often said in another life she may have made her career in the performing arts. Besides music, Arlene and Tony were fiercely loyal fans of the Syracuse Orange football and basketball teams, and had season tickets for years—not to mention a closetful of orange and blue attire! A lifelong Democrat, she served as a Van Buren Democratic Committee member, enjoyed working the voting polls, and even ran for Town Clerk in 1980. Arlene was prized for her cooking and the meals she lovingly prepared for her family each day. She was known to make delicious Italian food, and once won a ribbon at the New York State Fair for her sauce. Though she married into and was embraced by a big, loving Sicilian family, Arlene was proud of her Polish heritage. She spoke the language, visited the country, enjoyed cooking the food, and attended the annual Polish festival in Syracuse where she could always be seen dancing the polka. Arlene loved all styles of dance, and could jitterbug, jive, and fox trot with the best of them. She was so kind and comforting, that friends, family, and even strangers turned to her for an ear to hear or shoulder to cry on. In her spare time, Arlene loved gardening, swimming, the ocean, James Michener novels, the Golden Age of Hollywood films, crocheting, sketching and painting, sitting in the sun, watching the birds in the yard, road trips, comedy, laughing so hard tears would fall out of her eyes, big earrings, and fashion with flair. She always said, "Life is too short to wear boring clothes!"

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Augustine's Church in Baldwinsville, NY on Wednesday, June 15 at 10 a.m. and live streamed at www.staugustinesparish.org, Entombment will be in St. Joseph Mausoleum, Auburn. Friends may call at Falardeau Funeral Home, Baldwinsville, on Tuesday June 14 from 4 to 7p.m. Our family would like to thank the exceptionally compassionate and caring staff at McHarrie Pointe for taking such great care of our Mom while she was a resident. Donations can be made in this extraordinary woman's memory to the McHarrie Life Foundation of Baldwinsville, NY https://www.mcharrielife.org/donate