Helmut M. Arnold

HELMUT M. ARNOLD

Iowa City

Helmut M. Arnold, 95, passed away of multiple organ failure on April 8, 2019.

Helmut was born in Konigsberg, Germany, to Emma and Max Arnold on April 29, 1923. A preterm twin, it was feared he would not survive, and he was felt to have a weak constitution. At age 6, his family moved to Stargard, where his father served as a Methodist minister and Helmut met his future wife, Kaethe Erdmann, whose family was active in the church. An absent-minded bookish boy, he was inquisitive and adventurous. He was drafted into the German army and fought on the Eastern front in World War II. After the war, he attended art school and later immigrated to the U.S.

Helmut proposed to Kaethe in a letter and she accepted and sailed from Germany to New York. They were married on May 6, 1955, in Oakland, Md., and lived in O'Neill, and later Lincoln, Neb. The couple raised four children together while he worked for the Department of Roads, retiring at age 62.

Helmut continued to have intellectual curiosity and was open to new experiences his whole life. He enjoyed various pastimes, including flying, painting, camping, remodeling his sailboat, sailing, building and flying model airplanes, chess, raising chinchillas and always reading. They were active in Epworth Methodist Church and had many friends among the Eastern European immigrant community. After his retirement, he and Kaethe enjoyed traveling all over the U.S. and Canada.

In 1991, they moved to Davenport, Iowa, and a few years later to Iowa City to be near their youngest daughter and her growing family. During their many years in Iowa City, they made lots of new friends in the Longfellow neighborhood, at Zion Lutheran Church, Legacy Pointe and Solon Retirement Village.

Survivors include his children, Michael Arnold (Dianna Bolt) of California, Gretchen Housel (Willis) of Lincoln, Neb., Martin Arnold (Rachel Long) of Monroe, Wis., and Ingrid Goldenstein (Jeffrey) of Iowa City, Iowa; sister, Renate Grewe; grandchildren, Nathan Bolt, Benjamin Housel (Leah), Amy Housel, Reuben Arnold, Madeline Arnold, Paul Goldenstein, Ilsa Goldenstein, Emma Goldenstein and Daniel Goldenstein (Rachael); and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Kaethe, in 2014; his parents; and his sister and brother, Dorothea Pearson and Manfred Arnold.

The family is grateful for the loving care he received from Solon Care Center and Iowa City Hospice.

Memorials can be sent to Solon Retirement Village Foundation, Zion Lutheran Church of Iowa City, Iowa City Hospice, or Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services.

A memorial service is planned for late June. Thoughts may be shared with the family at www.lensingfuneral.com, where the service details also will be available in June.