Madison Arnold

MADISON ARNOLD

Cedar Rapids

Madison Arnold, 92, of Midway, passed away June 18, 2015, at Living Center West in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He was born on Feb. 13, 1923, in Coal Fork, W.Va., to David and Gertrude Arnold. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers and two sisters. He was the last of the family to pass away. He was also preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Keitha, in 2010; his daughter-in-law, Leslie, in 1999; and his great-granddaughter, Kaydence Holmes.

The Arnold family moved from West Virginia in 1929 to the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Madison attended several different elementary schools as his family moved approximately every year during the depression time of the 1930s. He attended Montrose High School and graduated from there in 1941. In high school, he was a four-year letterman in baseball and basketball.

Madison joined the U.S. Army in 1941 and was medically honorably discharged before entering combat. He then moved to the Cedar Rapids area in 1942 and went to work for Lynch Transfer. While at Lynch, he met Keitha and they were married on Easter Sunday of 1946. He also worked for the Illinois Central Railroad, Iowa Manufacturing Co., Russell Miller Co., Linn County Nursery and then for 27 years for WR Grace and Co., the Cryovac Division from where he retired in 1990. Following this, he worked for Heath Trucking for several years.

In 1979, he had his first of three major heart surgeries and fought complications with his heart for the next 25 years. He was sent to Louisville, Ky., for laser surgery, where the doctors beamed 29 extra holes in his heart. This was the turning point as far as his heart health was concerned and he greatly improved for the next 10 years, thanks to the help of new procedures and technologies also from St. Luke's Cardiac Care and the visiting nurses.

Madison was a member of First Church of the Nazarene in Cedar Rapids for 65 years. He served on the church board, as an usher, helped with the groundskeeping and maintenance and many other volunteer jobs.

He is survived by three sons, Dr. David R. of Mount Vernon, Ohio, the Rev. Daniel M. (Evie) of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Douglas P. of Center Point; eight grandchildren, Holly (Justin) Koons, Heidi (Terry) Holmes, Hilary (Brian) Holmes, Mandy Arnold, Joshua (Angella) Arnold, Brittany Arnold, Makaila Arnold and Sophie Arnold; and 11 great-grandchildren, Bailey, Colton, Chloe and Madelyn Arnold, Dakota, Blade and Ryder Koons, and Susannah, Jonah, Micah and Jensen Holmes.

Viewing will be from noon to 2 p.m. followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m. Monday, June 22, at the First Church of the Nazarene, 3113 First Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids, conducted by the Rev. Tim Carver. Arrangements are by Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids. Burial: Dunkard Cemetery, Midway.

A memorial fund has been established in Madison's honor.

Please share a memory for Madison at www.murdochfuneral

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