Bjorndal, Arne M.

Arne M. Bjorndal, 96, of Iowa City, died peacefully Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, at Mercy Iowa City. Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 123 E. Market St., Iowa City. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at Lensing Funeral Home, 605 Kirkwood Ave., Iowa City.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The University of Iowa College of Dentistry, Department of Endodontics through the U of I Foundation, or to The American Diabetes Association.

Arne was born in Ulsteinvik, Norway, on Aug. 19, 1916, the son of Martin and Anne (Beito) Bjorndal. He received his undergraduate degree in Volda College, Norway in 1939. He then enlisted in the Norwegian Army and was captured in November 1943 and imprisoned in Poland, France and Austria and returned to Norway in 1945. He was decorated by the King of Norway for his service during World War II.

In 1947, he received a dental degree from the University of Oslo and received a Fulbright Scholarship to Tufts University in Boston in 1950. Arne received his D.D.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Iowa in 1954 and 1956, respectively. He was appointed major in the National Guard of the State of Iowa in 1961. He was employed as a Professor of Dentistry at the University of Iowa until his retirement in 1984 and received the I.B. Bender Life Educator Award from the American Association of Endodontics in 2008.

Arne was a member of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, the Optimist Club and Elks Club. He enjoyed travel, golf and read voraciously. He married Katharine (Benson) Bjorndal on Jan. 12, 1952, in Oslo.

He is survived by his wife, Katharine and three children, Katharine (William) Mead, Kari (Henry) Bullamore and Lee (Judith) Bjorndal; and five grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents and nine siblings.

Online condolences may be left for the family at under obituaries.

Published in The Gazette Nov. 6, 2012.