Elk Grove High School Alumni
Elk Grove, California (CA)
In Memory of
Arlene Vagay Poma
1958-2022
Born May 25, 1958, Arlene Vagay Poma attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA.
Class of 1976
May 25, 1958 - Aug 12, 2022
May 25, 1958 - Aug 12, 2022
Arlene Poma
May 25, 1958 - August 12, 2022
Sacramento, California - Arlene Vagay Poma, a first generation Filipino American, was born in Sacramento, raised in the Delta and moved to South Sacramento with family in 1970. She graduated from Elk Grove High School, Sacramento City College, and Sacramento State University. She had journalism aspirations, and wrote briefly for the Marin Independent Journal. She then worked for various state agencies, culminating with the California Department of Corrections, where she trained as a Correctional Officer, and was assigned to Pelican Bay State Prison. Upon retirement, she returned to Sacramento, did volunteer work, and took classes pursuing her many interests. Still accessible online are her blog, SheRetired; her You Tube instructional videos, ThenSheRetired; and a few CBS News Sacramento features. Her meeting Jack French in 2000 and their marriage starting in 2006 were the happiest years of her life, and they remained friends after their divorce in 2020. She lived valiantly as bipolar, diagnosed during her teens. A kidney transplant in 2013 extended her life, but her health declined in recent years. She was strong-willed and a force of nature, yet tender and sentimental. She was smart, adventurous, funny, a loyal friend, a lover of animals especially dogs and horses, a gardener extraordinaire and master baker, and most of all, a gifted writer. She is survived by brothers Edgar and Phillip, of San Francisco, and Newark, CA, respectively. A private service was held.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by The Sacramento Bee from Sep. 25 to Oct. 2, 2022.
May 25, 1958 - August 12, 2022
Sacramento, California - Arlene Vagay Poma, a first generation Filipino American, was born in Sacramento, raised in the Delta and moved to South Sacramento with family in 1970. She graduated from Elk Grove High School, Sacramento City College, and Sacramento State University. She had journalism aspirations, and wrote briefly for the Marin Independent Journal. She then worked for various state agencies, culminating with the California Department of Corrections, where she trained as a Correctional Officer, and was assigned to Pelican Bay State Prison. Upon retirement, she returned to Sacramento, did volunteer work, and took classes pursuing her many interests. Still accessible online are her blog, SheRetired; her You Tube instructional videos, ThenSheRetired; and a few CBS News Sacramento features. Her meeting Jack French in 2000 and their marriage starting in 2006 were the happiest years of her life, and they remained friends after their divorce in 2020. She lived valiantly as bipolar, diagnosed during her teens. A kidney transplant in 2013 extended her life, but her health declined in recent years. She was strong-willed and a force of nature, yet tender and sentimental. She was smart, adventurous, funny, a loyal friend, a lover of animals especially dogs and horses, a gardener extraordinaire and master baker, and most of all, a gifted writer. She is survived by brothers Edgar and Phillip, of San Francisco, and Newark, CA, respectively. A private service was held.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Published by The Sacramento Bee from Sep. 25 to Oct. 2, 2022.