Alison Therese Kleven

Alison T. Kleven, our beloved daughter, niece, sister, cousin, partner and friend passed on Thursday, August 12th, after a long battle with several medical conditions. She was surrounded by family and friends.

To know Alison was to instantly be enveloped by her infectious laughter, quick wit and smile. Kindness, patience, and understanding were hallmarks of her spirit, shared equally with anyone she met. To meet her was to instantly love and trust her.  Calming a nervous patient, lending an ear and advice, or offering additional tutoring to her students are just a few examples of her enduring nature that touched so many people’s lives.

Her passion for experiencing life led to a love of sports, including softball, boxing, golf, tennis but most of all volleyball, and wow was she a fierce competitor! Music was her lifeline.  She could dance and sing the words to almost any song no matter the genre and did so even until the end.

 Alison loved the experience of traveling, in part because it fed her insatiable need to know. As a self-described nerd, she would return from travels sharing everything she had learned and pictures of what she had seen.

Her passion for knowledge found expression in her professional life as a scientist, lecturer, and a Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist.  Alison is a Lobo, she graduated from the UNM Radiological Sciences Program in 1996 where she would ultimately return to teach as a lecturer, sharing her enthusiasm for the field with students. Clinically, she spent 21+ years at Lovelace Medical Center and was also licensed in California where she worked occasionally.  Forever dedicated to the field of Nuclear Medicine, she was the New Mexico TAG (Technologist Advocacy Group) representative for the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) and was an active community member attending Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Advisory Council (MIRTAC) annual meetings.

She is preceded in death by her father, LeRoy Kleven; Granny, Rebecca T. Saiz; Auntie Molly “Modesta” Campbell; and her beloved uncles; Jerry, Jimmy, Billy, Ben and David Saiz.  She is survived by her mother, Maria Oralia Kleven; her sisters Gina Clarke, Christie Tarantino and Elaine (Mark) Massis; her nieces, Abbey Clarke and Isabella Tarantino; her nephews, Joshua Tarantino and Aaron, David and Jordan Massis; her beloved Tia DeeDee (Dolores Crosby), who cared for her for the last 10 years; Auntie Fedelina Saiz, Uncle Eddie Saiz: and her sister-cousin Melanie Crosby as well as numerous other beloved cousins.

With her in her last month and at her passing, caring for and supporting her were her beloved friends, Audra and Angie VanArsdale, and Maria Bernstein (Recalde-Arguello, as Alison preferred), her chosen partner and love.

Al, thank you for sharing your light.  You are deeply loved and missed.

Alison’s services will take place on Saturday, September 11, 2021. Services will start at 9:30 am at the Martineztown-Santa Barbara Park located at 1825 Edith Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM 87102. Interment of ashes will take place at the Mount Calvary Cemetery located at 1900 Edith Blvd NE, Albuquerque NM 87102 at 11:00am. A reception will take place from 12:00-2:00 pm at Juno Brewery+Cafe+Art located at 1501 1st Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102.