Arlene Mack, 90, of Bismarck, ND, passed away on Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at the Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck.

Funeral Services for Arlene will be on Friday, December 1, 2023 at 2:00 pm at the Peace Lutheran Church in Scranton.  Pastor Mary Wiggins will officiate with burial to follow at the Peace Lutheran Cemetery.  There will be a Family and Friends service on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at the Peace Lutheran Church beginning at 7:00 pm.  Visitation will be from 12-5 at the funeral home chapel and from 7-9 at the Peace Lutheran Church on Thursday, November 30, 2023.

Arlene was born on the farm south of Scranton on November 26th, 1932 to George and Selma (Torpen) Hedman. Arlene attended theWhiting Country School until the 8th grade and then went to Scranton High School until graduation.  She worked for a year for the Scranton Equity as a bookkeeper then went on to attend the Bismarck Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1954.

Arlene married Thorval "Tuffy" Mack on August 15, 1954 and together had 2 children, Richard and Cindy. She worked at the Bismarck Hospital for 3 years before moving closer to Scrantonand worked at St. Luke's Tri-State Hospital in Bowman for the next 9 years.  The family would then move back to Bismarck and Arlene worked for Bismarck Hospital (later becoming MedcenterOne) until her retirement. Throughout her career, she held many titles including; Registered Nurse, Head Nurse, Administrator, Inservice Director, Director of Nurses, Administrator of Patient Care, Assistant Administrator, Vice President, and Executive Vice President. Arlene was dedicated to her work and was always taking college courses to further her career and knowledge.  She receivedher Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Mary College in 1972, attended additional advanced courses from Mary College/later the University of Mary and received a Certificate of Patient Care Administration from the University of Minnesota.  Arlene was not able to stay retired though as she was then asked to be the Acting Administrator for the Richardton Health Center and then the manager for the Medcenter One Clinics in Hebron, Richardton, & McKenzie County.  When she finally did retire from her dedicated45 year career in nursing and administration, Arlene started working part time at the Prairie Peddler, a store in the Kirkwood Mall where she loved to shop.  She was not one to sit still so this helped fulfill her days and her shopping.  She was also a very active member and president of the Medcenter One Hospital Auxiliary for many years.

Along with her many professional accomplishments, Arlene was also very involved in a variety of committees, presented various workshops, and was asked to be a guest lecturer at many colleges, hospitals, and associations. Arlene was recognized nationally with an appointment as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and as of 1999, was the only nurse from North Dakota to have received this distinction.  A few special quotes of Arlene's werefound in various articles that holds true to her passion for this profession.  One is referring to the challenges of technology, "Let it never be forgotten that no scientific technique can replace common humanity, the caring about the person." Another quote about the profession itself that she chose, "Nursing is a great profession which can be wonderful and challenging and diverse. I can't imagine having done anything differently."

Arlene loved making chocolate chip cookies for her grandchildren and enjoyed having them around to spoil.  She also loved babies and was excited when the great grandchildren started to arrive,making sure she was one of the firsts to hold them.  Arlene was always dressed to the nines and especially loved to dance with her favorite dance partner, Tuffy. Traveling was another one of her passions. Arlene and Tuffy went on a Caribbean cruise, traveled to Italy, and Turkey. She went to Hawaii and to New York City more than once. In the early years, the family took a cross country trip around the western part of the U.S. She was a devout member of Trinity Lutheran in Bismarck and enjoyed her time assisting with the children's choir and as the Luther League Advisor.

Left with loving memories are her children Richard 'Dick' (Mary) Mack of Scranton ND and Cindy (Jay) Frohlich of Bismarck ND; her five grandchildren: Dirk (Deidre) Mack of Scranton ND, Chelsea (Thomas) Ternes of Bismarck ND, Devon (Garret) Miller of Scranton ND, MacKenzie (Adam) Klockziem of Palmer AK, and Lindsay (Brian) Woodmansee of Bozeman MT; her 14 great grandchildren: Abraham and Ebony Musonda, Tripp and Palmer Mack; Tenley, Nolan, and Briar Ternes; Tyke and Tuffy Miller; Mack, Ryker, and Beckett Klockziem; Bradley and Lucy Woodmansee; sister-in-law Delores (Clayton) Haugse; brother-in-law Dean (Bonnie) Mack; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Arlene was preceded in death by her husband Tuffy of 58 years; her parents, George and Selma; her 2 sisters, Janice Graham and Beverly Miller; and her 2 brother-in-laws, Merle Graham and Larry Miller.

The family would like to give a special thank you to Mapleview, Missouri Slope Memory Care, and Sanford in Bismarck for their wonderful care of Arlene.