Sarah Marie Arney

Sarah Arney was a journalist who wrote her own obituary. She expected to die at home “in her cute little ‘townhouse’ on the river bank in Arlington.” Her pre-written obituary said that (her) “life was doomed by ovarian cancer”. While Sarah was not able to pick her final day of life, there is no doubt that she lived every day to the fullest and on her own terms.

Born in Seattle in 1952 to William/Bill and Margaret Arney, she was editor of The Arlington Times from 1995 until 2009, and then worked as reporter and copy editor at Stanwood Camano News for the last decade of her career. She also covered Arlington City Council for the North County Outlook during that decade.

Her death ends a 20- year reign as founding president of Arlington Arts Council.

Along with a legacy of public art in Arlington, she leaves her many fellow art advocates, friends and family including brother Bob Arney and his wife Cheryl and Bob’s daughters Heather, Heidi and Elizabeth; sister Dorothy Arney Yantis and her husband Bob and their kids Craig, Christopher and Karen. She leaves three great grand nephews Jared, Derrick and Carson and four great grand nieces Bridget, Brooke, Blair and Madeline.

She was predeceased by her parents and sister, Mary L. Arney.

Sarah was 10 when her dad bought the dairy farm in Oso and moved the family from Orcas Island, where he grew up. She attended sixth grade at Oso School and graduated Arlington High School in 1970.

Sarah studied art and anthropology at Central Washington University and art and communications at the University of Washington. She studied visual communications at Western Washington University, and then joined the Peace Corps, serving four years in Malaysia designing educational materials and exploring Southeast Asia. While training new volunteers, she arranged for the trainees to have a cultural experience at a local batik factory, and she got hooked, spending many hours designing fabrics at the factory. Upon return to the U.S., Sarah earned a Master’s Degree in International Affairs, focusing on Southeast Asia, and then won a Fulbright Grant to research Malaysian batik.

After 10 years of back and forth, Sarah settled back on the family farm when her parents both died in 1987. She used the milking parlor as a batik studio until the local newspaper called and offered her a job at age 43.

Sarah enjoyed biking and hiking and advocated though the years for the Centennial and Whitehorse trails. She was a master at building magnificent bonfires for annual family picnics and campouts on the river bar.

She enjoyed music and photography, and traveling to the far corners of the earth: Zanzibar, Kenya, Turkey, Croatia, Budapest, Amsterdam, Myanmar, Fiji, Vietnam, Angkor Wat, England, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Morocco and many corners of Mexico.

Donations in Sarah’s memory may be made to the Arlington Arts Council, KUOW, KIXI or charity of your choice.

A Celebration of Life Well Lived will be held Sunday, August 13th, at Stilly Valley Center, 18308 Smokey Point Blvd, Arlington, WA, 1:30-3:00 p.m.