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Arnold Palanca

October 8, 1927 - December 15, 2014
Kalamazoo, MI

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Service

Saturday, January 10, 2015
3:00 PM EST
St. Thomas More Parish
421 Monroe Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
(269) 381-8917
Web Site

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

St.Thomas More Parish
421 Monroe Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49006
(269) 381-8917
Web Site

Kalamazoo Gospel Misison
448 North Burdick Street
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 345-2974
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ambati
1830 S. Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 349-4961
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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All those who knew Arnie Palanca can attest to his deep love for his family and his wife Carla, his friendship with people of all ages, his sincere appreciation of the rewards of his life, his ability to spin a memory into a detailed and witty story, his genuine regard for all people, and the sincerity with which he approached the business of living the most authentic life he could. There are few people in the world for whom so many have favorite memories and true affection. Arnie stood out as one of those unique individuals, and all who met him are richer for that connection.

Born on October 8, 1927, Arno Phillip Palanca grew up in Chicago Heights, Illinois, in the tightly knit neighborhood of Italian immigrants affectionately referred to as "Hungry Hill." The Palanca household included Arnie's parents, Pietro (Peter) and Maria, his maternal grandparents, and his three older brothers and his younger sister--Alfio (Flash), Reno, Livio, and Hilda--all of whom preceded him in death. Arnie attended Mount Carmel elementary school, where he excelled to the point of skipping a grade. A scholar athlete in the Bloom Township High School class of 1945, Arnie lettered in four sports and earned the coveted all-sports award. His love of sports was keen and his commitment to continuing his education was strong. Though he was recruited by many colleges to play baseball, Arnie entered the Army through the last WWII draft. He was selected for the intelligence division, earning a G2 ranking, where he spent most of his military service as a team leader of a cryptography unit.

After the war, Arnie enrolled at Western Michigan University which started a Palanca legacy with that college. Arnie majored in business and minored in speech, excelling in both disciplines. In the spring of 1951, he was introduced to Carla Newman by a mutual friend. Carla was not impressed with Arnie's attempt at humor and promptly forgot about him. But, Arnie did not forget about her. The next fall, Arnie caught sight of her in the Student Union at WMU. He was able to charm his way into a date. That date started a love affair that lasted for almost 63 years. After his graduation from WMU in 1952, Arnie and Carla were married on April 19.

Arnie and Carla set up housekeeping in an apartment on Union Street in Chicago Heights. Arnie explored different employment opportunities while he supplemented his income by playing minor league baseball in the Cubs' Farm League system. After the couple welcomed their first child, Mary, they decided to move to Michigan, living first in Glenn and then in South Haven for major portion of their lives together. Arnie eventually joined Canonie Construction Company where he remained until his retirement at age 53.

Arnie and Carla welcomed their first son, Chuck, in 1955, and their second daughter, Lisa, the following year. Perry arrived in 1960 and Abby was welcomed in 1961. The family of seven resided at 35 Apache Court in South Haven, a home that grew as the children grew. The Palanca children had a magical childhood because Arnie and Carla put their family at the center of their lives. Arnie was the neighborhood dad who played touch football, baseball, and basketball with all the Apache Court kids. He participated in their snowball fights in the winter and swam with them in Lake Michigan in the summer. The Palanca family was truly the envy of the neighborhood because of their closeness to each other, created through Arnie's emphasis on the sanctity of the family. Not only was the Palanca clan a close family, they were friends as well. Even though a Palanca family dinner could erupt into arguments as the kids grew older and developed differing opinions about the world, Arnie's admonition to "feel with your heart, but argue from your head" brought things into perspective. The extended family of Palanca cousins were also included in Arnie's affection. During many weekend get-togethers when the cousins were young, they would attempt to present a "play" to the aunts, uncles, and their grandfather. No matter how badly the cousins performed, Arnie would clap the loudest.

Most of Arnie's and Carla's activities were concentrated on their children. They attended every school event, game, play, musical performance, and important milestone in their children's lives, even as the five kids became adults. The family enjoyed vacations in many locations, including resorts in the Midwest and Southern states as well as ski trips in Northern Michigan. So many times Arnie and Carla were complimented on their family by strangers. This is because of Arnie's devotion to creating the best for his wife and kids, and his example of showing appreciation was reflected in his children. This is not to say that life was perfect. Arnie was a hard taskmaster and he had high expectations of his children that were sometimes difficult to live up to; however, Arnie always gave second, third, fourth chances. He made sure that all of his children knew that no matter what the circumstances, they could always come home for as long as they needed.

Arnie was also the consummate host. He and Carla were fond of entertaining. Family events, dinner parties, and holidays were so much fun because of Arnie's pure joy in surrounding himself with family and friends. He welcomed everyone and made sure that each of his guests was having a good time, from the youngest to the oldest. His lifelong friends were especially fond of Arnie and his ability to turn a mundane evening into a memorable event. Arnie could be a jokester, and his talent in mimicry drew many laughs when he acted out his stories.

Probably the most recent high points of Arnie's life centered on his grandchildren Claire, Ariel, Chelsea, Gabrielle, Alyssa, Sam, Gabe, Eric, and Casey, and his great grandchildren, Reece and Knox. As he did with his children, Arnie attended most of the events--special days, games, plays, musical performances--of his grandchildren. The oldest two grandchildren loved having Arnie and Carla in their audiences in Ann Arbor and Plainwell. Both Arnie and Carla were well known among the Hackett High School classmates of four of his grandchildren, and the grandparents traveled to White Lake, Michigan, when they could to participate in the events of the other three. All of his grandchildren were especially devoted to Grandpa Arnie, and his passing will create a huge absence in their lives.

So much more can be written about Arnie. Those that were privileged to know him will keep their memories close to their hearts. His daughters-in-law, Laurie and Rochelle, and his son-in-law, Rich, were all quite devoted to him. Arnie's friends, too numerous to credit to, will feel the loss in their lives, while the family and friends who preceded him in death are undoubtedly having a huge welcoming party. Heaven in certainly rocking, and Arnie is surely greeting everyone there as warmly as he did when they were all on Earth.

Per his request, Arnie donated his body to the medical school at the University of Michigan. A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on January 10, 2015, at 3:00 pm, followed by a Happy Hour reception at the Beacon Club. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Thomas More Catholic Church and the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission. Please visit Arnie's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com (Betzler Life Story Funeral Home, Kalamazoo) to share a favorite memory or photo, and sign his online guestbook.

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