Dr. Marion Eugene Arnold Obituary (1923 - 2019)

Dr. Marion Eugene "Gene" Arnold died peacefully at his home in Bowling Green on Sunday morning, August 18. He was 95 years old: gracious, kind, thoughtful and wise to the end. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Betty Garwood Arnold, his parents, Sig and Bessie Mae Arnold, his siblings, Mary Elizabeth Tapp, Marvin "Sig" Arnold, and nephews, Johnny Tapp and Jeff Arnold. Continuing to remember and cherish the love he so generously gave are his daughters and sons-in-law Eileen Arnold and Jim Salmon of Bowling Green and Alice Arnold and John Pajunen of Wichita; grandchildren Dan Bender (Elizabeth Shanin) of Chicago and Logan and Thea Pajunen of Wichita; great-granddaughters Julia and Evelyn Bender, and nieces and nephews Martha Frisch, Charles Tapp, Susan Arnold Buchanan, and Mike Arnold. Dr. Arnold, born in 1923 and raised in Madisonville, graduated from Madisonville High School, attended Western Kentucky University, and the University of Louisville Medical School. He was a WWII veteran and grateful for all the benefits he received from serving, including becoming friends with men from all walks of life and a semester's education at Oxford at the end of the war. Dr. Arnold first practiced medicine in Clinton, Kentucky and returned to Madisonville when offered an early position at the new Trover Clinic. He was immensely proud of his forty-year affiliation with Trover and cherished his memories of family medical practice, his patients, and colleagues. In retirement, Dr. Arnold continued to be active doing things he loved: spending time with Betty, gardening, volunteering at the Glema Mahr Fine Arts Center, and being a good neighbor and listener. When he moved to Bowling Green in 2013, he made meaningful new friends at Massey Springs Senior Living. To the very end he was an exceptional husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, and will be missed every day. Funeral services will be private, but a gathering to visit and share memories with his family will be Friday, August 30, 2019 at Barnett-Strother Funeral Home from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. The family is deeply grateful to the individuals who provided such loving care to Dr. Arnold toward the end of his life, especially Deedee Blume (devoted friend and "major domo"), Lynda Ragland, Mary Landrum, Gayle Williams, Lisa Manion, and Tabbatha Rogers, along with the wonderful staff at Massey Springs and Hosparus Health. In keeping with his dedication to lifelong learning, memorial gifts, if desired, may be made to Hopkins County-Madisonville Public Library, 425 East Center Street, Madisonville, KY 42431.