Sharlene Allyn Hitchings, 64, of Idyllwild, died from complications of cancer at her home Saturday, Feb. 5, 2000.

Mrs. Hitchings was born May 20, 1935, in Omaha, Neb. She was a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. and received master’s degrees in education and English from San Diego State University.

She was married to her husband, David, on June 6, 1958 and the couple have lived in Idyllwild for the past 31 years.

She and her husband had just retired last year, Mrs. Hitchings from the Idyllwild Arts Academy where she had been an administrative secretary for about 10 years. She also had worked there on and off during the 1980s. Mrs. Hitchings worked for about four or five years at the Town Crier during the 1970s, writing about local history and the San Jacinto Mountains. For about nine years, she was the Executive Secretary at the Barksdale Foundation. Her husband, David, said she loved all the places where she worked.

Mrs. Hitchings was a member of the now-extinct Idyllwild Historical Society. As a one-time president of the society, Mrs. Hitchings compiled much data on local history. She also belonged to the American Pen Women and was on the Board of Trustees of the former Idyllwild Art Gallery, a downtown gallery extension of ISOMATA (now Idyllwild Arts Academy).

Memorial services and inurnment will be private and are being handled by Miller-Jones Mortuary and Crematory in Hemet.

Besides her husband, Mrs. Hitchings is survived by a son, David Allyn Hitchings of Idyllwild.