Saying goodbye to Arline Addison, the great woman behind the pioneer

by | May 14, 2012 | Industry | 1 comment

Photo by Joe Lichtenbert

I am very sorry to report that we have lost another cherished member of our community this week. Arline Addison, who in Bill’s own words, was the great woman behind all of his successes.  When they told me two years ago that Arline had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and the doctors were giving her six months to live, my first thought (after the initial shock and sadness) was: “How will Bill survive without her?” They had been together for 60 years. They did everything together.  They had the most beautiful marriage I have ever seen.  When we lost Bill three months ago and Arline was still doing remarkably well, I knew that she had been holding on for his sake and I was thankful that he never needed to know a life without her.  That was just the kind of woman she was – one of the most considerate and nurturing people I have ever known.  She was the kind of person who, when you call her to console her about the passing of her husband, she is more interested in apologizing for your late birthday card.

Arline lost her battle with cancer Saturday evening, surrounded by her family. At the request of Bill and Arline, there will be no service.  They asked to be cremated and to have their ashes mixed together and released into two of their favorite spots: a mountain pass in Wyoming where Bill did some of his first mineral prospecting, and in the ocean, off the coast of Roatan, Honduras. Their daughter, Katy will continue to operate C-quest marine ornamental fish hatchery from its new location in Wheatland, Wyoming.  If there is anything to look forward to after this life, then we can be sure that Bill and Arline are reunited, probably walking hand-in-hand down the shores of some exotic Island, probably Roatan.

  • Todd Gardner is a professor of Aquaculture and Marine Biology at Carteret Community College in Morehead City, North Carolina where he oversees a partnership between the college and The Biota Group, a world leader in sustainably cultured marine life. Todd's life and career have been shaped by his passion for ocean life and he has written numerous scientific and popular articles about his research and experiences collecting, keeping, and culturing marine organisms. Todd’s professional background includes work on a National Geographic documentary, commercial aquaculture at C-quest Hatchery in Puerto Rico, and an 11-year term at the Long Island Aquarium where he spent much of his time developing techniques for rearing marine fish larvae. To date he has raised more than 50 species. In 2013 Todd received the prestigious Aquarist of the Year Award from the Marine Aquarium Society of North America (MASNA). In his spare time, Todd dives, photographs marine life, runs marathons, and makes music.

    View all posts

1 Comment

  1. Aqua Pro Builder

    RIP.

    Having meeting them in person in couple trade shows and notice they are the nicest people around makes feel bad about have them gone.

    Wingo
    WingoLED

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *