Photo courtesy of Pleasant Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary - Sebastopol
Feb 19, 1954 - Aug 4, 2025
My deepest condolences to the entire family as Addis-Hiywot is laid to rest. We were classmates for many years in Ethiopia. Addis-Hiywot had a vibrant personality and was often, if not always, the one to score top marks in class. May she rest in Eternal Peace and may Our Kind Lord grant strength and comfort to her Family. Sophie Petros
Sophie Petros
August 21, 2025 | United Kingdom | Classmate
My deepest and sincere condolences to the entire family. May she rest in eternal peace.
Sophia Gorfineh
August 21, 2025 | Columbus, OH | Family
Sleep in peace my sister
We will travel together and create more quilts in the future
Carol Whyte
August 19, 2025 | Oviedo, FL | Friend
My dear Addiseye, you will be terribly missed. Rest in perpetual peace. Memory Eternal ♥ Your golden smile will stay etched in my heart.
My deepest condolences to the whole family
Mistella Mekonnen
August 13, 2025 | Family
Addis was a steady, faith-filled friend since high school who believed in choosing the hard right over the easy wrong. One of our last exchanges still speaks to me: “Thankful for God's nearness more than ever. Seeking Him in the stillness & drawing comfort. Will keep praying for u too. Hope all is going well.” Her words were a quiet reminder to pause, seek, and trust.
I’ll miss her listening heart, her thoughtful counsel, and the way she lived out her beliefs with kindness. May...
Yeshey Beyene
August 13, 2025 | Fresno, TX | Friend
Arlene-Hiywot Albury (Addis-Hiywot Dirasse) born in 1954 in Harrar, Ethiopia was the 5th daughter out of 8 children of Lieutenant General Dirasse Dubale and Woizero Ethiopia Yirdaw.For those of you that knew Mom, you would remember how she wore her afros with grace and confidence and how truly stunning they were at every stage of her life. It was not just a hair style, but it was a symbol of her independence, pride, and sense of justice. She was indeed the captain of her ship. Throughout her life, she was grounded in her unshakable faith that guided all her interactions with family and friends.
As she ventured out of her home country of Ethiopia in 1970 to the United States to pursue her education, she overcame many trials and tribulations. The execution of her father and imprisonment of her mother and brother, but she pressed forward to make a life in the United States.
Her journey began in Pennsylvania at the age of 16 years where she attended Wilson College and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She had many stops after graduation along the way which included working with autistic children in Pennslyvania, she was a taxi driver in New York and drove a potato truck in Idaho! Finally, she anchored herself in Northern California where she started a family and gave birth to Haile-Hiywot, Terry and Carmen Albury. From her fruit she yielded 5 grandchildren, Imani Haile-Hiywot, Mealea and Myles Albury, Elise and Emile Genin. In addition 2 great grandchildren Brayleigh and Byson Scott.
Throughout her life she stayed connected with family and friends from high school and college. She was humble, gentle and a great listener. She was a dedicated employee of Alameda County for 30 years. During that time period she went back to school at John F. Kennedy University and earned her MBA in Finance. After she retired, her ship took sail to past adventures long missed as she was an avid sewer, knitter, crocheter, Bible reader, quilter and enjoyed connecting with friends and love ones.
Preceded in earthly death are her sisters, Fanaye and Adelahu Dirasse and their beloved mother, Ethiopia Yirdaw and father, Dirasse Dubale. As we celebrate her life and her family that passed before, let us proceed with the same resilience, faith, hope and courage anchored in the love of God.
“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” -John 15:5 KJV
Read More
