Arlene Beverly Halligan

March 30, 1936 - April 1, 2018

Beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, daughter, sister and friend, Arlene Halligan passed away at home Easter Sunday April 1, 2018, two days after her 82nd birthday ~ as in life, she left us with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her beautiful face.

Born in Wauwatosa Wisconsin, March 30, 1936, Arlene is survived by her son Shea Halligan, daughter Kelly Halligan and son in-law Don LeBuhn, three grandchildren - Samantha, Andrew and Mackenzie LeBuhn (ages: 20, 19 and 15) as well as an endless host of beloved friends, family and loved ones.

A renowned Marin philanthropist, Arlene’s cherished pet project was the restoration of the historic Mt Tamalpais Railroad, Gravity Car Barn and Depot, where she previously held a term as Project Director for the Mount Tamalpais Association. Weeks before Arlene died, she was able to help secure the purchase with a winning bid to “bring home” the historic No 9 Heisler, the last remaining locomotive from the The Mt. Tamalpais Scenic Railway

Arlene came to San Francisco from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin in the post World War II heyday of the late 50’s, where she relished the single life in the City. She later married Jim Halligan, and settled down to raise her children in Marin. Over the years, her passions ranged from tennis to extensive international travel to politics and everything in between. Arlene was a voracious reader and was fervently involved in a huge range of charities and causes. Arlene loved conversation and was known to be thoughtful, engaging, well read, wildly optimistic, passionate and encouraging, and more than a little feisty and funny.

Arlene’s signature Christmas-eve parties were famous (and even a bit infamous) from the South Bay to the North Pole and parts back East. She was well known for her humor and liberal use of the word ‘F*&!’ as punctuation - versus the traditional grammatical use as noun or verb. Arlene loved any excuse to have a party, and she did so regularly, with her beloved, ice cold martini in hand.

As dear friend Leslie noted, “...she was grounded in reality but so light of heart, mind and spirit... She leaves a legacy of love, laughter and light.”

Arlene Halligan will surely be missed, but never forgotten, as she will always be with us in spirit - and she will live through us, with each and every extraordinary smile and laugh that we continue to share in life.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Arlene’s final “Passion Project”, the beloved, last remaining steam engine from the Mt Tam Scenic Railway. More information and donations are available at: www.friendsofno9.com