March 2, 1931 - May 18, 2017 Our dear wife, mother and grandmother passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 18th. Aletha loved her family, the great outdoors and the good Lord. Born in Quincy, Illinois on March 2, 1931, she joined American Airlines as a stewardess shortly after graduating from high school. She was not afraid to explore and this gave her the opportunity to go many places and make lifelong friends. She met her husband Roger on a blind date and after marrying had to retire from the airline as stewardesses were not allowed to be married in the 1950s. Her son Barry was born a year after getting married and her daughter Christine followed four years later. Settling in Southern California brought many fun-filled days at the beach, daylong road trips with the kids and helping out in the classroom with countless carpool hours. When not with family, Aletha's other passion was attending and teaching Bible studies to study God's word. Her joy was contagious and people just wanted to be around her. She loved history and music and could make a mean apple pie. While in her 50s, with kids out of the house, she decided to go back to work and spent 20 years working for a company that provided interpreters to the Orange County courts. She loved this job as it gave her an opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. Whether in the grocery line, at the gas station or on a walk in the park, it only took five minutes for her to have a new friend. Once Aletha retired she turned her attention to attending her grandkids' many sporting events and hosting family pool party barbeques. She will be dearly missed. Aletha is survived by her husband of 59 years, Roger; sister Jane; son Barry; daughter Christine; son-in-law Rick; grandchildren Annie, Sara, Charlie, Rachel and Erin; and her many nieces and nephews. Donations in her honor may be made to: The Sheepfold, an organization providing faith-based hope and refuge for abused women and their children, P.O. Box 4487, Orange, CA 92863.