Arlene Roselle Raub

Arlene Roselle (Root) Raub, the daughter of Merritt and Tilda (Christensen) Root, was born on January 4, 1925 on her family farm in Greeley Township, Audubon County and died on November 11, 2019 at the Friendship Home in Audubon, Iowa at the age of 94 years, 10 months, and 7 days.

Arlene attended rural schools and eventually attended Audubon High School, graduating in 1942. During high school, she took a course titled "Normal Training," which when completed, allowed her to teach in Iowa when she reached the age of 18. Following high school graduation and working for a year at Olsen’s Grocery, she taught for one year at a one-room school house in Greeley Township. After teaching for a year and completing the required testing, Arlene and some friends moved to Chicago in 1944 to work in the Federal Treasury Department. In 1945, she returned to Iowa and enrolled in the American Institute of Business located in Des Moines, Iowa. There, she learned bookkeeping, typing and other related business courses. While at AIB, she briefly met George Raub, who had recently been discharged from the Marine Corp, though nothing occurred between the two at that time.

Following AIB, Arlene began working as a secretary at the Veteran’s Hospital in Des Moines. After some time, George was admitted to the hospital for gastrointestinal problems related to his overseas military assignments. Here, the relationship blossomed, apparently because George was a captive audience. The two eventually married on April 25, 1948 at the Presbyterian Church in Audubon, Iowa.

The two initially lived in Des Moines, Iowa while George worked for Remington Rand, the shaver division. The company transferred George to Indiana as the state sales manager, and they lived in Noblesville. While living there, Paul, their first son, was born in 1950. In 1952, the family moved to Lawrence, Indiana, where they lived until 1958. During this time, their second son, Jay, was born in 1953. Sadly, he was born with severe mental limitations due to a birth-related brain injury.

In 1958, Arlene and her family moved back to her home town of Audubon when George purchased the Cheney Jewelry store on Broadway Street, changing the name to Raub Jewelry.

During the next 30 years, Arlene worked at the Audubon County Engineering office and then for the Agricultural Soil Conservation Service until her retirement. In 1988, the jewelry store was sold, and Arlene and George moved to Sun City, Arizona. During this time, the couple traveled around the country and especially to Northern California where her son, Paul and his family live. Many holidays were celebrated and enjoyed with Paul, his wife, Andrea, and their two daughters, Alexa and Sophia. There was also a special place for Paul’s dog, Chester, who always seemed to find a way to share their bed when they visited.

On October 27, 2011, George died, and in August 2012, Arlene moved backed to Audubon for the last time. She took up residence at the Friendship Home, where she lived until her death.

Arlene was preceded in death by her husband, George W. Raub; her son, Jay; her parents, Merritt and Tilda Root; her bothers, Dale Root and Dallas and wife Patricia Root.

Survivors include her son, Paul and wife Andrea Raub of Walnut Creek, California; her grandchildren, Alexa and husband Michael Vernazza of Pacifica, California and Sophia Raub of New York City; her sisters-in-law, Dora Root of Sun City West, Arizona and Mary Alice McCleary of Nashville, Tennessee; numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.