Ariel (Keir) Ciarlo Sept. 6, 1917 - June 8, 2011 Rossmoor

Ariel passed away at the age of 93. She was the eldest of three children born to William and Lucille Keir. In 1916, her father, a stone mason, and her mother, a nurse, moved to New Mexico to work on the Navajo Indian Reservation. Ariel was born on the reservation and lived there learning the language and customs of the people until the age of five, when her parents moved to Oakland, CA. Ariel attended Fruitvale Elementary School, Bret Hart Jr. High School, Oakland High School and San Francisco State College. In 1938 Ariel went to work for the Pacific Telephone Co., where she became a supervisor and then moved into administration. She retired as the Chief Long Distance Operator after 38 years of service to the company. In 1942 during WWII, Ariel joined the Women's Army Corp. She served two years in Egypt and was honorably discharged in 1945. She married Joe Ciarlo in 1954. When Joey died in 1973, Ariel moved to Rossmoor where she was involved in numerous volunteer activities. Ariel was a woman of many interests, enjoying travel, knitting and needlepoint. She even studied the technique and made several authentic oriental rugs. She was an avid reader, did daily crossword puzzles and maintained an interest in southwestern art and crafts reflecting the experiences of her youth. Ariel was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Ethyl Klemm, and her brother, John Keir. She is survived by her in-laws, Pina and Leo Croce, many nieces and nephews, her former brother-in-law, Fred Klemm (Roberta), and long time family friend and "buddy", Elsie Crosetti. The family wishes to thank the staff at The Stratford and Hospice of the East Bay for the special care she received during her illness. At Ariel's request there will be no services. She requested that any donations in her memory be made to the Leo R. Croce School Scholarship Fund, 5650 Scenic Ave., Livermore, CA 94551.