David Arnold

Arnold, David A. Portage David Arnold passed away peacefully Saturday morning, May 22, 2021 with his loving wife by his side at his residence in Amber Place at Heritage Community after a long struggle with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Diseases. David was born June 10, 1946 in Kalamazoo, the youngest child of C. Louis and Ruth (Allard) Arnold. He graduated from Loy Norrix High School in 1964. He attended Western Michigan University earning a degree in accounting in 1968. After working for the IRS as an auditor in Benton Harbor, Dave landed his dream job working for the IRS in Washington D.C. in International Operations. He travelled extensively overseas, preparing U.S. citizens' tax returns and working in U.S. embassies. A few of his six-month assignment locations include Manilla, South America, the Panama Canal, Germany and Tokyo. Later in his career he transitioned to working for the IRS as a computer programmer. Dave was known for his dry wit, his frugality, and his kind and gentle spirit. Dave was a long-time member of Dumbarton United Methodist Church in Washington D.C. where he served as treasurer for a number of years. Dave retired at the age of 49 and proudly joked that he had "beaten the system." He returned to Kalamazoo to spend time with his father and met the love of his life at a church gathering. On May 29, 2004, when he was 57 years old, Dave was united in marriage to Wendy Dopp. Dave enjoyed a long retirement. He volunteered for the U.S. Geological Survey and participated in two trips to Alaska studying glaciers and climate change. He was a Stephen Minister for 15 years, providing support to people in crisis. Yearly trips to Las Vegas with his buddies Norm, Randy and Rich were eagerly anticipated. Together they hiked numerous national parks and hit the blackjack tables and buffets. Dave loved golfing, walking, snacking, downhill skiing, watching old movies and following the stock market. He relished taking various trips with Wendy, often bringing grand-daughter Maya along. Some years later, Dave and Wendy felt blessed to welcome two more grandkids to their family. It was a joy for Wendy and step-daughter Melissa to watch Dave grow into his role as a doting, playful, hands-on grandfather. His grandkids dearly loved and will miss their "Papa." David was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Ruth. He is survived by Wendy (Hook, Morrison, Dopp) Arnold. Also surviving is his step-daughter Melissa (Morrison) Newton and her husband Michael; 3 grandchildren: Maya, Ava and Ryker; mother-in-law Dorothy Hook; sister and brother, Mary Ruth (Bill) Theuer, and Charles Arnold (Barbara Eby); and three nephews: Chris, Jeff and Tim Theuer; and bother-in-law David Hook and wife Kim. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a private family memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church at 1:00 pm Sunday, June 6, 2021. An interment ceremony at the church columbarium will follow. If you would like to join the 1:00pm memorial service virtually, there will be a live stream on Zoom. The Meeting ID is: 884 5430 9491. The Password is: DavidA An outdoor Open House will follow at the family residence at 4497 Foxfire Trail, Portage and will be hosted from 4:00pm to 7:00pm for family and friends to join in celebrating Dave's life. It was David's wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable contributions to the Parkinson's Foundation of Michigan or Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes. To view David's personalized webpage, please visit https://www.langelands.com to leave a condolence or memory.