Arleen Quillen Steen, loving wife, mother
Arleen Quillen Steen passed away peacefully at home Sunday, March 9, 2025, surrounded by her loved ones.
She was the daughter of the late Elmer F. Quillen Sr. and Lettie C. Quillen of Dagsboro.
After graduating from John M. Clayton High School in 1957, Arleen and her best friend headed to Philadelphia to pursue their dream of becoming hair stylists. However, the day after being dropped off at the beauty school, they discovered that students had to be at least 18 years old, but both girls were still 17.
Her date of birth changed the course of her life. So Arleen returned home to Dagsboro, taking her first job as a secretary for the Honorable Claude Tease in Dover. She later moved to Wilmington, where she worked for Rollins Leasing and the DuPont Co. In 1974, she moved back downstate and re-entered the legal field, working as a real estate coordinator for Maull and Maull in Georgetown. The women she worked with became like family to her and her children. After her boss retired, Arleen worked at Schmittinger and Rodriguez in Dover, returning to Georgetown to work for Schab and Barnett when her first and only grandchild was born in 1999. Along the way, a friend introduced her to her husband of 46 years, Curt, and they bonded over a shared love of common friends and road trips.
Arleen dedicated her life to her 44-year-long real estate law career, working into her 80s at her daughter’s law firm even while living with Parkinson’s disease. She always ensured that her family had everything they needed. Her incredible work ethic, attention to detail, and commitment to others inspired her children and granddaughter.
Arleen was known for her beauty, grace, and unwavering support of her family and colleagues. On top of that, she was known to host fun parties for her friends with delicious, homemade food. And even in her later years, she still loved doing hair.
Arleen was preceded in death by her parents; and her sister, Dorothy Ann Lynch, who was also her best friend.
She is survived by her devoted husband of 46 years, Curtis W. Steen Jr.; her brother, Elmer F. Quillen Jr. “EF” and his wife Martha “Marty”; her daughter, Susan Pittard Gardner and her husband Brad; her son, Herman Carl Matthes III “Traye” and his wife Darlene, all of Dagsboro; and her granddaughter, Rachael Weidman of Washington, D.C.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations in Arleen’s name to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
A Celebration of Arleen’s Life will be held from noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, March 22, at the Steen family home.
