Arlene was born on Aug. 12, 1944 in Jersey City to Marion Cuccinelli and Louis Alvino.   Arlene’s father died from kidney disease when she was only 6, so her mother basically raised her alone.  After completing her education, Arlene started her career as a beautician.  After a relatively short stint as a hairdresser, she worked in the accounts payable department at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken NJ.   While attending a fraternity party at Stevens on July 11, 1963, she met her future husband, Nicholas D’Agosto III, a student at the school.   They were married on May 7, 1966 and initially lived in an apartment in the Country Village section of Jersey City, where their son Nicholas IV was born.  Arlene left work shortly before her son’s birth to raise her family.

Arlene moved to Piscataway in 1970 and had a daughter, Danielle, in 1975.  After moving to Trumbull, CT in 1978, Arlene returned to the workforce after Danielle started school in 1981.  She worked for Ed Mitchell’s and later accepted a position as administrative assistant for William Raveis Realty in Trumbull. CT, where she later became the Administrative Manager, a position she presently holds.  Just as Arlene was raised by her mother, she, in turn, watched over her mother, who lived with her and her husband in Trumbull from 1996 until she passed away on Sept. 21, 2001.