John A. Arnold, 85, of St. Albans went home to his Lord on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 after a long illness. He was preceded in death by his parents S.W. and “Minnie” Morton Arnold; brother William Arnold; and sisters Vera Quarrier and Betty Buckland.
He was retired from Union Carbide Tech Center (South Charleston) and the West Virginia State Fire Marshall’s Office. He was a member of the Marine Corps League, the Cherry River Navy, the Paradise Campground in Greenbrier County, and a PDD in the Military Order of the Devil Dogs. He served three years and eight months as a Marine in the South Pacific during World War II and four years with the 20th Engineers of the United States Marine Corps Reserves. He was a member of the Highlawn Baptist Church in St. Albans.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Betty Arnold; his two daughters Trena Given (Walter) of Charleston and Linda Freeman (Lawson) of South Charleston; his three grandchildren Darrell Freeman (Jamey) of North Carolina, Mary “Megan” Dailey (Matthew) of Charleston and April Martin (Christopher) of South Charleston; his five great grandchildren Julianne Freeman, Viktor and Alexander Dailey, Thomas Stevens III, and Riley Martin; his brother Vernon “Tommy” Arnold of St. Albans; and his sister Barbara Jean Higginbotham of South Charleston. As John himself would probably add, he is also survived by Cindy Holmes, who became not only his caregiver but a very true friend.
Visitation and services will be held Monday, December 27th, with the service starting at 1:00 pm and friends and family gathering at noon, at Highlawn Baptist Church, 2304 Jefferson Avenue, St. Albans, with the Rev. Joseph Jarrett officiating. Burial will be at Cunningham Memorial Park in St. Albans, where miliary graveside rites will be conducted by the Marine Corps League Detachment #947 of Charleston. At the conclusion of the service at the cemetery everyone is invited to gather in the fellowship hall at the church. In lieu of flowers and in support of children’s hospitals nationwide, the family requests that donations be sent to the Military Order of Devil Dogs, C/O Richard Given, 1485 Chapps Fork Rd., Charleston, WV 25312.