Arlene Ross passed away peacefully on Jan. 18, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born June 1, 1942, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the daughter of the late Ralph and Rose Kaufman; predeceased by her beloved sister Elaine Gillman, and her first cousin Ethel Browner.
Left to cherish her memory are her husband, Harold Brownstein; her daughter, Stefanie (Len) LaSala; her son, Jonathan Ross; and her beloved grandchildren, Madeleine (Rogelio) Zuniga-Rubio, Cooper Ross, and Benjamin LaSala. She is also survived by Harold’s family, especially her granddaughter Olivia Gewirtz; her other extended grandchildren Brian, Rebecca, and Madeline; her niece, Jaynie Crimmins; her nephew, Jeffrey Gillman (Randi); and their families, as well as many lifelong and newer friends, people she welcomed with such warmth and love that they, too, were family.
Arlene grew up in Brooklyn and earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education at Brooklyn College.
After marrying her first husband, George, in 1964, they moved to Rockland County, where she started her teaching career first in NYC schools and then as a certified Montessori teacher. Along with her friend and partner, Freyda Michelson, she created, owned, and operated Rockland Learning Center Montessori School for 23 years.
In her second career, she was director of the Newburgh Jewish Community Center until her retirement. While Arlene may have been technically retired, she never slowed down.
She loved spending time or talking with her children, grandchildren, and lifelong friends Adrianne, Mickey and Lindell. Weekend sleepovers at Camp Nana with her grandkids graduated into Sunday-Fundays as they grew. She took every excuse to make time for loved ones, birthdays, holidays, a not-so-quick phone call, or a walk around the neighborhood.
Everywhere Arlene went, she built community. She made friends on her daily walks, first with Judy, and then with Gabi in Central Valley, and with Madelaine in Highland Mills. In between family dinners and neighborhood walks, she was always moving; yoga, tennis, and more recently, pickleball.
Arlene was a truly special person who made the world a better place simply by being in it. She approached the world with kindness, care, and optimism, values she imparted to her children, grandchildren, and anyone smart enough to listen to her. She took pride in knowing her family shared her compassion towards others.
She will be missed beyond words, but the love she gave and the memories we carry will stay with us for a lifetime. To the world, she was Arlene, but to our family, she was the world.
A Celebration of Arlene’s life is planned for Friday, Jan. 30, from 2 - 5 p.m. with a Service beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Smith, Seaman & Quackenbush Funeral Home, 117 Maple Ave., Monroe, N.Y. 10950
For those who cannot attend in person, please join via Zoom at https://shorturl.at/eittr (Meeting ID: 748 8968 7775; Passcode: pZ7djT)
Donations in Arlene’s memory may be made to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation, https://netrf.org/ or the Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research https://lustgarten.org/donatenow/.