Arlene was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She attended school, worked in fast food, drove an old clunker, listened to awesome music, and made lifelong friends. As a young woman, she worked as a dental hygienist in Calgary, where she met and married Robert McCashew, a dentist. Later, they felt the pull to try their luck in Portland, Oregon. Since 2008, they have split their time between Portland and Rhododendron, Oregon, with their daughter, Arianne.
Arlene joined Portland Community College in 2009. She had many roles at PCC: as faculty, academic support staff, collaborator, bridge-builder, instigator, and tireless believer in creating a better system to support the large, diverse student body. She started as a Student Resource Specialist and she taught College Success and Communications courses. Since 2012, she had been the Perkins Grant Student Resource Specialist serving several hundreds of students per term for Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Architectural Design and Drafting.
Arlene was instrumental in student success by being available for students and a valuable sounding board for faculty. She believed that assessing what works and tweaking what doesn’t, which engaged her skills of flexibility, ingenuity, problem-solving, a sympathetic ear, and no BS. She was great at championing projects to enhance students’ PCC experience and worked with alumni to foster community and maintain connection to the college.
Arlene also served on many committees over the years, including the Advising Council, where she championed the idea of a universal handbook for advising for all campuses. It’s now a part of every advisor’s toolbox.
What adjectives describe Arlene? She was spicy, compassionate, fun-loving, fashionable, intellectually curious, motivated, honest and stubborn. She was a social butterfly, a hermit, a generous friend, and often very private – yes, Arlene was a wonderful mix of contradictions.
Arlene believed in quality. She loved to cook and eat good food, drink good wine, and be in good company. She loved her friends and her husband, but most of all, she really and truly loved her daughter, who was her favorite companion.
Arlene really loved to travel. Her Facebook is a collage of epic trips she’s taken over the years. She loved the culture and opportunities in cities. She loved being at the beach, in the mountains, in the trees, by the river. She loved being in the sun. She had a wicked awesome fashion sense, and often her clothes, jewelry, and footwear made others feel slovenly -- or inspired us to step up our game!
Arlene was also a student of the unseen. She studied energy healing, astrology, and tarot and let her intuition guide her. Meditation and sound baths helped create moments of quiet and serenity, which allowed her to give so much of herself to her students, co-workers, friends, and family.
Arlene is survived by her husband, Robert, daughter, Arianne, siblings David Bouchard, Richard Coglon, Jacques Coglon (Joanne), Sylvia Facchin (Johnny), and Jackie Coglon, and several nieces and nephews.
She is predeceased by her father, Norman Coglon, and mother, Evelyn (Mayer) Coglon.
To quote from an electronic announcement posted on May 17, 2022, by PCC: “Arlene was a dedicated and instrumental leader of our team and advising council as well as a co-collaborator with many departments. She will be greatly missed.”
In closing, here is her daughter’s Eulogy.
“As much as my mom seemed private and a little intimidating, she had the biggest heart of anyone I knew. From donating to charities to save bears, to getting mad at me and my dad when we kill spiders, she’s done it all. She cared so much about her friends and family, even if she felt as if they didn’t care about her. She always made an effort to put herself in other people’s shoes and never really judged anyone, unless it was when watching “90 Day Fiancé.”
“One thing my mom taught me that I’ll always remember is to have hope, even in the worst and darkest times. I can remember her giggling about going to Hawaii, even in the middle of the pandemic, because she had hoped that one day she'd go back to her favorite place on Earth. “Even when she was sick, she had so much hope that she’d get better and be able to dance and run around and have fun like she used to. She believed that in the bad, there was always good. She told me once that “it’s not a bad world, just a bad situation.”
“My mom was the most selfless person I’ve ever met. In my preteen years, I’d get so mad at her for not letting me out of the house at night or worrying about little things, but I never really realized that it was because all she wanted was for me to be safe. As time went on, my mom became less of a protector and more of a best friend. We’d get coffee on our way to the cabin every Friday afternoon and gossip about the drama at work and school. She gave me so much advice that it’s hard to remember it all, but some pieces I use to navigate my life, even without her here. For that, Mom, I thank you for being the way you were. You gave me the best and happiest childhood that anyone could ask for, and as much as I’m sad you don’t get to see me become an adult, I know your heart and spirit will always guide me. I love you.”
Arlene impacted so many people. May her memory be for a blessing.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Arlene’s memory to Camp Namanu or the PCC Scholarship Fund.
Camp Namanu
https://campnamanu.org/donate/
0300 SE Camp Namanu Rd. Sandy, OR 97055
503.224.7800
Portland Community College Foundation
https://www.pcc.edu/foundation/ways-to-give/donate/
Sylvania Campus, 12000 SW 49th Ave. Portland, OR 97219
College Center 114
971.722.4382