Cary Arden

Cary Arden passed away peacefully on August 5th, 2025. She lived a very full and productive 94 years. In fact it could be said she lived three full and productive “lives”.

Her first “life” began when Cary Arden Higley was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 25, 1930, to Dr. Charles and Elizabeth Higley. She had a happy childhood growing up in Shaker Heights, and was an active member of the SHHS Class of ’48. Her summers were often spent going to Lake George, New York, where her grandparents had a place in the woods near the Lake. These summers gave her a tremendous appreciation for being outside, near the water and spending time with extended family. This was a belief she embraced throughout her life and passed along to her family and all of those who came in touch with her. She attended nursing school at the University of Michigan where she met a young medical student named Ralph Straffon. In 1954 they were married at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights.

In her second “life” as Cary Higley Straffon, she became a mother, giving birth to three boys while living in Ann Arbor; Dave in 1955, Dan in 1957, and Jon in 1959. After her husband Ralph was offered a surgical position in the urology department at the Cleveland Clinic, they moved back to her home town of Shaker Heights, where they had two more boys, Peter in 1961 and Andrew in 1966. She was a loving, caring mother who tried her best to keep order with five rambunctious boys and all of their activities. Hockey practices, soccer games plus play dates made for active days. In 1964 she and Ralph decided to make a trip to Northern Ontario for a family vacation, an area with a similar landscape to the Adirondacks and Lake George. They ended up buying a property on Lake Muskoka (Pine Point) where the whole family would spend their summers (and still do today). In 1970 she helped to establish the SHHS hockey program to help keep her five boys busy. In 1977 her son Daniel passed away from Leukemia and she authored a memoir of his life, Celebration of a Life which continues to keep Dan alive for us all. She also authored a book Finding the Meaning in Mourning. She was active in community affairs helping with the integration of the Shaker schools, and worked to revive Shaker Square by starting the organization “Friends of Shaker Square” and serving as its first President from 1976-78. She received an outstanding University of Michigan alumni award in 1979 and was given a Cleveland Municipal Court Resolution highlighting her civic contributions in 1983.

Her third “life” started once all of her sons were out of the house and she turned her attention to herself and searching for deeper meaning in her own life. She amicably divorced Ralph and moved to Cleveland Heights. She completed a Masters Program in Human Services from John Carroll University in 1986 which led to her work as a career counselor for five years. In 1991 she changed her name to Cary Arden. Throughout her life she was interested in other cultures and travel and while married to Ralph she took many trips to medical meetings in China, Japan, Australia and Europe. But now she was following a different wanderlust taking trips to Africa, the Galapagos, Russia, Bolivia and Greece to name a few destinations. She became accredited in Rubenfeld Synergy techniques and Gestalt. She traveled with the Institute Of Noetic Sciences and made multiple trips to the American Southwest. Eventually she decided to move to Santa Fe in 1997 at the age of 67. Over her twenty years in Santa Fe she established a home she called “Haelin (health) Circle” where she built a yurt, a moon dome, a grow dome and a labyrinth circle and had monthly “ New Moon Retreats” for her friends, all while continuing to travel the world. She was a true believer in conservation, Mother Earth, and the wisdom of indigenous people. She liked to dance and listen to music. She journaled extensively, enjoyed reading poetry, and anything having to do with being outside. It’s fair to say Cary Arden was a true free spirit.

In 2017 she returned to Cleveland to be closer to her family who meant so much to her. She is survived by four sons, Dave and Liz Straffon (Vienna, AU), Jon and Rochelle Straffon (Vero

Beach, FL), Peter and Cindy Straffon (Shaker Heights, OH), Andrew Straffon (Cleveland, OH); her seven adored grandchildren Daniel Straffon (Jenny), Nathan Arden (Bianca), Tyler Straffon, Dylan Straffon, Stephen Straffon, Sarah Straffon and Jane Straffon; and a recent addition, great granddaughter Lilia Arden. Cary made the most of her 94 years and she will be missed terribly. We are so “fortunate” (a word she much preferred to use rather than lucky) to have been able to share in her life.

A celebration of Cary's life will take place at The Cleveland Skating Club, 2500 Kemper Rd, Shaker Hts., OH 44120, on her birthday, Saturday, October 25th from 3-6 pm with remarks at 4pm.