Kenneth Arnold Obituary

Kenneth William Arnold

1951-2022 -

Kenneth William Arnold, a Lambertville husband and father whose humility, warmth, and kindness touched all he met, died June 19, 2022, in a traffic accident near Mount Pleasant, MI. His mother-in-law, Helen Thrush, was also killed in the crash; and his wife, Teresa Arnold, sustained critical injuries. He was 71. Ken was born April 1, 1951, in Royal Oak, Michigan, as the second of five children to parents, Virginia Marie (Kern) Kaiser and William Charles Arnold. Ken graduated from University of Detroit Jesuit High School and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from University of Michigan. He later received a master's degree in water resources engineering from University of Toledo. At U of M, Ken made lifelong friendships and found a partner, his wife, Teresa (Feltman) Arnold, whom he married in 1973. College sweethearts, Ken and Teresa met in Ann Arbor at a football game in the Big House. They would go on to share many fond memories of Wolverine Football there, as long-time season ticket holders. After moving to Toledo, Ken and Teresa had two children, Gwendolyn and Joel. Ken was a devoted husband and a caring and patient father. He enjoyed preparing family meals, instilled in his children a love of learning, and was a rock for his wife in uncertain times, as when Teresa received a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. As they adapted their lives to this news, Ken supported his wife with grace and strength, inspired by the Catholic faith which he deeply valued. Ken and Teresa were long-time members of the Community of the Risen Christ in Toledo and later parishioners of St. Clement Parish. Ken and Teresa moved back to their home state in the late 1990s, building a home in Lambertville, MI (a dream project that was not without its challenges). They were glad to see their children both attend University of Michigan. With their home a little quieter, Ken and Teresa volunteered to become host parents to international exchange students. For more than a decade they opened their home and lives to young people from multiple countries in Europe, Africa, and South America. Ken considered these students part of the family, and that's what they became, with long-lasting relationships continuing to today. Ken always appreciated being of service. In his engineering career, he went from working summers on road construction crews to ultimately designing critical water and wastewater infrastructure. He was proud to manage projects providing clean drinking water to many Michigan and Ohio communities, including designing the water system for Cabella's in Dundee, MI. He worked at Jones & Henry Engineers, Finkbeiner Pettis & Strout, Arcadis U.S., and OHM Advisors. For the last few years Ken was retired—mostly—as he still enjoyed contributing his professional perspective to community infrastructure projects in the region. Accustomed as he was to work, Ken adjusted well to retirement and appreciated spending more time at home with Teresa and their three cats and dog. Ken loved spending time in nature, whether it was on family trips to hike, camp, and raft, or in his own backyard. On their beloved wooded property, he and Teresa grew their own vegetables, hunted for Morel mushrooms, rooted out an invasive species, and cultivated wildflowers in their meadow. Over the past few years it had become an annual pleasure for Ken to foster and release Monarch butterflies; each season and each day would bring something new to appreciate and something new to do. He wouldn't have had it any other way.

Ken is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Teresa; his daughter, Gwen, her husband, Ken Havens, and their children, Kenny, Jordan, and Sadie; his son, Joel; and his siblings, Christopher Arnold, Susan Tonkovich, and Jeffrey Arnold. In addition to his parents, Virginia and William, Ken was preceded in death by his sister, Judith Arnold.

A visitation and scripture service will be held on Monday, June 27, at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 168 E. Wright Ave., Shepherd, MI, from 4 to 8 p.m. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, June 28, at the same location at 11 a.m. A memorial service will be held for family and friends in the Toledo area at a later date. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National MS Society (https://www.nationalmssociety.org), University of Detroit Jesuit (https://www.uofdjesuit.org), or Wild Ones (https://wildones.org). Arrangements have been entrusted to Berry Funeral Home of Shepherd, MI.