Arline Rickey Bliss

Arline Rae Rickey Bliss, 86, passed away on November 30, 2016. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Home Economics. She was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority. Upon graduation, she went to work for Stouffers, developing recipes. She was married to the late Peter H Bliss. Together, they had four children (who survive): Gary Bliss (Ellen) of Woodbridge VA, Deborah Fordham (David) of Weyers Cave VA, Jeff Bliss (Kristy Bakke) of Louisburg NC, and Tammy Bliss (Jeff Allaway) of Raleigh NC. In addition, she is survived by eight grandchildren Katie Bliss of Richmond VA, Patrick Bliss in the Navy at sea, Allen Fordham (Kate) of Denver, Bryan Fordham (Elise) of Fort Lauderdale with their child Tiberius, Cathryn Fordham of Fairbanks AK, Dianna Fordham of Orlando, Forrest Allaway of Durham, and Robyn Allaway of Raleigh, a sister Phyllis Wecht. and special niece Linda Tesh . She had many passions. She loved antiques and refinishing and for many years her friends and family would find her “in the basement … stripping!” (Furniture, she was stripping furniture!) She enjoyed gardening and won awards for her flowers and arrangements. She loved all animals and would catch snakes for her children to enjoy for a few days before releasing them back into the wild. Her pets through the years included rabbits, guinea pigs, alligators, her horse Belle Grove Sport, and dogs including Mikey, Poppy, Prince, and Hannah. She was always willing to make the world better without recognition. To clean the neighborhood, she offered all the neighborhood children a nickel a bag to pick up trash. When she realized they were emptying their own garbage cans, she had to stop! For many years, she would grab garbage bags and clean the trash by the side of the highways as her way of “giving back” to the world. She fostered dogs with her son Jeff. She brought water to the garbage men on hot days because she couldn’t stand to see them so hot! She was a thoroughly loving and giving person who never met a stranger. Arline loved to travel and was able to take several dream vacations. She traveled with her husband to Europe on the Concorde and returned on the legendary ocean liner HMS Queen Elizabeth 2. She took other vacations with her children as the opportunities arose, including a week at the Kentucky Derby with her daughter Tammy and a trip to Belgium with both of her daughters. During her marriage, she lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, upstate New York, Connecticut, and finally landed in North Carolina. She was a master in quickly making each house a home, beautifully decorated, with friends in abundance. She sold real estate for several years, concentrating on finding homes for poor people so they wouldn’t be beholden to landlords. And then, she bought a gift shop. Originally, it was “The Pine Box” and, with her son Jeff, she sold furniture and gifts for 25 years. In 2000 “The Pine Box” moved and was renamed to “The Pine Tree”, but Arline remained a loving, happy fixture in the store and was beloved by her customers. A visitation will be held at Renaissance Funeral Home on Saturday, December 17 at 3:00 pm followed by a service to celebrate her life at 4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent to Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue. .

Arline Rickey Bliss

March 12, 1930 - November 30, 2016