Elizabeth Arnold
June 10, 1931 - September 4, 2012
Obituary
Liz was born on June 10, 1931, in Kalispell, Montana, the second to the last of 11 children of the late John W. and Clemmie Thompson. God called her home at the age of 81 on September 4th, 2012, at Swedish Hospital Medical Center in Seattle, WA.
Liz was raised in a little yellow house on 3rd Avenue West in Kalispell, Montana. She attended Elrod Elementary School, Central Junior High School and Flathead County High School. She completed a business course in Butte, Montana and then went on to continue her education at St. Patrick’s School of Nursing, St. Patrick’s Hospital, Missoula, Montana. There she earned a Diploma in Nursing in 1954.
Liz, her sister Chris, and niece Raella (also graduates of the same nursing program) banned together and took the trek across the mountains to Seattle, Washington to make this their new home. They began working at Providence Hospital in 1957. Her fine education and developing skill as a registered nurse propelled her up the ranks to become one of the few minority Nurse Managers at that time and an exemplary leader in the field. She was adored by her colleagues and she practiced her craft with great passion.
At some time in her mid-20’s Liz began having mild symptoms and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. In 1959 she was introduced to Charles (Chuck) Arnold, the man that would later become the love of her life. She informed Chuck of her illness and he immediately made her aware that he was deeply in love with her and that her illness did not matter. After a one year courtship through a series of letters and an engagement ring she received by mail, they were married in Seattle in 1960. They went to live in Philadelphia where they had their daughter Debbie. They returned to the Seattle area and Liz gave birth to their son John in 1963. Challenged by her illness Liz had to reluctantly leave the profession she loved in 1965 due to increasing immobility.
Despite the physical challenges of her progressive illness Liz continued to be a loving wife, mother, devoted daughter, sister and friend to all those around her. She was always an absolute cheerleader encouraging others to not give up but keep trying. She was definitely an example of this. Her tenacious spirit and love for life always shined through with a ‘can do’ attitude. She loved to be around people and to be a part of any conversation. Her eyes were always amazingly communicative. Even when she had difficulty speaking her face would light up when someone came into her presence. We overwhelmingly miss our Liz, Mom, Grandma, Aunt Lizzie and friend.
Siblings preceding her in death are Charles, Harry, Laura and Leona Thompson, and Catherine, Howard, Michael, Alice, Charles and Rosalie Gibbs.
Left to cherish Liz’s memory is her devoted husband Charles Arnold, Seattle, WA, daughter Deborah (Arnold) Smith and husband Sidney, Columbia, MD, John K. Arnold and wife Edwina, Des Moines, WA, brother Willard Thompson of Los Vegas, NV, grandchildren Jeanette and Guillory Arnold, Joshua and Gabriel Smith and Constance Arnold. She is also survived by sister-in-law Gloria Thompson, Seattle, WA, niece Raella (Kelly) Rhoades and husband Rudolph, Baltimore, MD, nephew William (Shorty) Stockard and wife Jean, Kalispell, MT, nephew Roger Gibbs, Albuquerque, NM, niece Cora Gibbs, Spokane, WA, niece Vickie (Gibbs) Bell, Spokane, WA, niece Nancy (Gibbs) Hilman, Los Vegas, NV, nephew Michael Gibbs and wife Jennifer, Spokane, WA, and many other great nieces and nephews.
Grant her eternal rest, Lord; may she rest in peace.
We send our deepest sympathy ,prayers and love as you “Celebrate The Life” of LIz our extended family.
Love and sympathy to Chuck, Debbie, John and family
Family, we pray that the Lord embraces you abundantly, while always raising your faith to understand, that she lives now so graciously with Him! Much love to you all, Wendell, Deborah, and De”Brijae.
Your light, especially your smile, will always shine bright in our souls.
Chuck, you and your family have our deepest sympathy. Take comfort in these words…”And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithfil.” Revelation 21: 4-5. You will be in our prayers over the days, weeks and months to come. May God give you strength.
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May you find strength in the love of family and in the warm in embrace of friends.
Your mother was highly respected and loved in the neighborhood growing up and I will always cherish my childhood growing up on 37th and Thistle. Those were the years of my childhood and the Arnold family will forever be a part of my family. God bless you all and my love and goes out to you al for your loss.
Love,
Cheryl
Dear Uncle Chuck, Debbie, John and family,
I am so sorry I could not be out there with you all at this time. I hope you all take comfort in knowing that you all took such good care of Aunt Liz and now she is resting in God’s arms.
Love,
Cathy
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time and always. Please let us know if there is anything you need.
You are family and we love you.
Love,
Kelvin, Christina, Gabriel, and Lauren
Chuck, Debbie, John and family – My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Susan
Dear Debbie, John, Mr. Arnold and Gloria
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:56-57
I hope you find peace in the outpouring of love for your mother, wife anbd sister in-law.
Much Love,
Rita (Williams) Green and DeCharlene Williams
Wanted to send my condolences to you and the rest of the family. Our prayers are with you.
Chris Arnold
Dear Uncle Chuck, Debbie, John and Family,
I am so sorry that I could not be there this week, but please know tha I am there with you in spirit. I have such fond memories of Aunt Liz and wish I could have seen her one more time. You all are in my prayers and I hope to see you all soon.
May the Peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
Love you,
~Robyn
To Uncle Chuck, John, Debbie and the rest of the family,
My deepest condolences to you all. Know she is in a better place but her spiriy is always with us.
God Bless,
Ben
Uncle Chuck, Debbie, John and Family,
Words cannot express how deply I regret not being able to be with you today. But please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Aunt Liz fought a long fight, one that many of us can only imagine. God thought it tme to let her rest, and as we know, we may not understand, but he does all things well.
I hope you can take some solace, as I have many times from the Bible verse “Absent from the body, is to be in the presence of the Lord.” And as we who beleive in him know, this is just another part of the the journey that we all must take, but we will meet again.
Love, Chuck
To Debbie and John:
I will always remember Mrs. Arnold’s warm, kind, and gentle disposition. As kids when John and I would run wildly through your grandmother’s house, making too much noise and creating chaos, your mom could make us behave instantly with her stern, but softly spoken words.
She was a very sweet lady.
Very sorry for your loss, and I will keep you and your family in prayer.
Dear Chuck, Debbie and John,
My thoughts and prayers are with you at this very difficult time. I will always remember Liz’s bright eyes and her beautiful smile. May God continue to bless you.
Cousin Toni
Chuck, Debbie, John and Family, my deepest sympathy in your loss….you are in my prayers.
Love, Alice
To Uncle Chuck, Debbie, John, and Family.
I am sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Jared Arnold
Debbie ,I think of you often .I am sorry for the loss of your mother.May you and your family be blessed during this difficult time.
Love Betty H
Dear Mr. Arnold, Debbie and John, this message is late but I wanted to express my condolences for the loss of your beautiful wife and mother. Meeting the Arnold family and growing up with you Debbie and John was a special experience and I will treasure your friendships for life. Debbie, you will always hold a special place in my heart for showing me the true definition of friendship and encouraging me to reach higher and accomplish my goals. John, thank you for being one of the sweetest men I have ever met. I love you all and wish you the best. Love Patty