ARLYS MAE BLIER's Obituary
Arlys Mae (né Voorhees) Blier was born on May 10, 1942, in Rochester, Minnesota, to George E Voorhees and Lillie J. Knudson. Her parents were farmers and in their 40’s when Arlys was born. She was born prematurely and was blinded because, back then, doctors were still learning about regulating oxygen saturation levels in incubators.
Arlys was a gifted child. At 1½, she was singing parts of children’s songs, and by three, she was singing several songs, both the verses and refrain. She had a marvelous memory and a beautiful singing voice. By four, she was spelling words and speaking well. Arlys graduated from the Braille School in Faribault, MN, and later received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science with a minor in Spanish from Winona State College, MN. She loved languages as she studied both Spanish and French.
Arlys worked for the state of Florida for several decades as a receptionist/typist.
Arlys loved to sing in her church choir and was renowned at singing solos.
Arlys’ first husband, Joseph M. Hall, died early from a heart attack. She was a member of the Association of the Blind in Miami, where she met Mark Blier. In 1979, Mark and Arlyl married in Miami.
In their early years, Mark and Aryls would travel to New England to visit his parents. Arlys and Mark would also go camping with Mark’s sister Gerianne, and Arlys liked that a lot. Blindness did not slow them down. Once while visiting Gerianne in West Chester, PA, she took them to the pool. Gerianne remembers them playing in the water like two little kids. Arlys couldn’t stop smiling that day.
Marks Mother, Norma, always did her best to enrich their lives in some way, either by describing in detail the surroundings or reading aloud to them.
Arlys often was the voice of reason, lending balance to many of Mark’s ideas. And they were opposites in some ways, too. Mark had an uncanny ability to learn routes and ways to get around, while Aryls struggled to walk three steps in a line (literally) or follow a voice. Mark used to tease her that she would never need a guide dog as long as he was around.
After Mark’s parents moved to Arizona, Mark and Arlys went for a visit. It wasn’t long after that Mark began teasing to move to Arizona. Arlys refused to go because, for her, Miami was home.
In September 2004, Arlys suffered a brain event that later was determined to be vascular dementia. Mark tried his best to keep her at home and to care for Arlys himself, but it became clear to him that she needed permanent medical care. Arlys was admitted to The Pointe of North Gables in 2005, where she remained for the rest of her days. During those first years, Mark visited her often.
During her time at The Pointe, Arlys’ favorite activity was listening to classical music. She very much enjoyed the food at the Facility, and her favorite was Italian cuisine. For many years, she shared a room with another Resident named Anita. Anita would always look out for Arlys even though Arlys could not communicate with her. Arlys was cared for by many staff members. Some of her regular staff included Magda, Rosita, Yayi, Juan Carlos, and Niuvus. All loved her, and she will be very much missed by the team.
Arlys Blier passed away on August 20, 2020, with the caring staff surrounding her. Van Orsdel Family Funeral Chapels and Crematory will handle the cremation, and her cremains will be interred in Cochise Memory Gardens Cemetery in Sierra Vista, Arizona.
The family will hold services in Sierra Vista, and an announcement will follow. If anyone would like to send donations, please send them to the Florida Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 601 Southwest 8th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184.
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