Longtime Harvard resident, active in community life
Arline Marteney. (Courtesy photo)
Arline F. Marteney, 87, died peacefully at her home on Sunday, April 24, 2022. She was the wife of the late Eugene Marteney.
Arline was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 12, 1934, a daughter of José and Frieda (Haynes) Fránquiz. In 1944, her family came to the U.S. while her father completed doctoral studies at Boston University. José moved the family to West Virginia where he became head of the philosophy department at West Virginia Wesleyan College. There Arline completed grade school and then herself attended Wesleyan, majoring in home economics and art and graduating magna cum laude. Working a summer job in the chemistry lab, she was assigned a teaching assistant named Eugene Marteney. From that connection grew a relationship that lasted more than 52 years until Gene’s death in 2008.
Arline and Gene moved to the Boston area while Gene attended postgraduate courses at BU. Soon after their first child Cheryl (Cherie) was born, Gene left academia to go into the field of engineering, first in Cambridge, then Concord. After their second child David was born, they moved to Harvard in 1961 where they felt an instant sense of community. With the arrival of their third child, Tamara, they bought their current house on Tahanto Trail in 1965. Arline and Gene spent countless hours putting their personal touches on their home. Their gardens were glorious in their heyday and became a stop on the Garden Club tour.
As a young mother, Arline continued with her oil painting, taught art lessons in the home, and was a substitute art teacher at the school. She started the art show at the Congregational Church as part of the Apple Blossom Festival. Later she switched media to watercolor under the tutelage of Agnes Abbot. She created seasonal decorations for the Congregational Church, fashioning blown eggs to be the people of the congregation, complete with suit coats for the men and Easter hats for the women, and creating elaborately clothed wise men and salt dough angels for the Christmas scene. Her apple pies were renowned and sold out at the Apple Festival almost before they arrived at the table.
Arline was a strong supporter of Scout programs, participating as a child from Brownies through seniors, and as an adult in leadership roles. She encouraged her children in their scouting experiences and co-led the senior Girl Scout troop with Gene. She imparted a love for the outdoors and a make-do attitude, treating challenges as “adventures.”
Arline and Gene were actively involved with the Harvard community and beyond. They were instrumental in forming the first Fourth of July Committee that established a tradition of celebration that continues to this day. As part of the adult chapter of the AFS Intercultural Programs, they hosted Muriel Jolie from France and welcomed other exchange students to their home. Arline was also the Congregational Church administrator for 25 years. Through the church, she and Gene helped plan and participate in a Habitat for Humanity project in Guatemala, where Arline’s fluency in Spanish was an asset.
In retirement, the couple spent winters in their Casa Rosa in Puerto Rico, where Arline reconnected to her roots. During the summer, they traveled to Europe and spent the rest of their time in Harvard.
Arline is survived by her children: Cheryl Ladeau and her husband, Joe, of Winchendon; David Marteney and his wife, Melissa, of Harvard; and Tamara Marteney of Warren, Vermont. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Matthew Marteney, Robert Manson, Alyson Marteney, Marla Davidson, and Seth Davidson.
Visiting hours were held May 5 at the Badger Funeral Home, 347 King Street, Littleton. A private graveside service was scheduled for Friday at Bellevue Cemetery in Harvard. A celebration of life will take place at the Harvard Congregational Church Saturday, May 28, 2022, at 11 a.m., followed by an ice cream social at the family home.
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