Robert Earl Arnold, Jr.

Robert Earl Arnold, Jr., 54, originally from Malden, died Dec. 17, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. He is predeceased by his mother, Betty Kaiser Arnold, and his father, Robert E. Arnold, Sr. He is survived by sons Nathaniel "Nate" Woodside Gunn Arnold and Robert Carter Arnold, daughter Elizabeth "Liz" Lee Gunn Arnold, wife Ashley Norton Arnold, sisters Helen Arnold Schoemehl and Sara Arnold, brother Nick, their spouses and children, and many friends in and around Malden and the entire Bootheel area.

Bob graduated from Malden High in 1973 and is remembered by many as an All-State track athlete, football player and brilliant student. Those who attended Malden High School with Bob also remember him as a great and loving friend, kind, thoughtful and generous classmate, and outstanding leader with a rollicking, infectious laugh. Friend Walt Croom always said Bob was bigger than life. Bob gave many of us the most precious gift there is --unconditional love. He had an immense, almost infinite, capacity for love and generosity. All of the things we loved about Bob also made him a wonderful and loving father.

Bob always loved Malden. And though he lived variously in Vancouver, B. C., Chapel Hill, N. C., Birmingham, Ala., and Nashville, Tenn., Malden was always home. Bob often talked about the special quality in Malden that kept many of us coming back and influenced the entirety of our lives.

Private services are being held. There will be a memorial gathering at the Malden Country Club, Saturday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Please come share your memories of Bob. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations go to the Malden Historical Museum or the Bootheel Youth Museum.

--By Stewart Acuff