Robert Arnold

ROBERT D. ARNOLD

Cedar Rapids

Robert D. Arnold, 86, died peacefully in his sleep on March 19, 2021, at his home in Key West, Fla.

He is survived by his wife, Beverly; daughter, Angie (Greg) Meyer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; daughter, Mimi (Jack) Bartley of Watertown, Mass.; son, James (Kristal) of Olathe, Kan.; stepson, Travis Hall of Chicago, Ill.; and stepdaughter, Kirsten (Bob) Banks of Cumming, Ga. He is also survived by eight grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dottie and D.B. Arnold of Ottumwa, Iowa; a sister, Kay Cooper of Paramus, N.J.; and a brother, Jack Arnold of Ottumwa, Iowa.

Bob was born Jan. 13, 1935, in Minneapolis but spent 80 years of his life in Ottumwa, Cedar Rapids and Key West. He graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1953. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1957, where he was affiliated with the Sigma Chi Fraternity and continued to be huge Hawkeye supporter until his death. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957-1959. He married Linda Foster of Ottumwa in 196. They divorced in 1975. He married Beverly Tibbitts Hall in 1992 in Cedar Rapids.

Bob was branch manager of Quail & Co., a brokerage firm in Ottumwa, later known as Dain Kalman & Quail. In 1973, he moved the office to Cedar Rapids in the former I.E. Tower. The firm is now known as RBC Wealth Management. He retired in 1996 after 37 years with the firm.

While in Ottumwa, Bob, as a private pilot, and was active in the Antique Airplane Association. Other activities included member of the board of directors of the Ottumwa Chamber of Commerce, treasurer of the Mid America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, founder of the Robert F. Kennedy-Martin Luther King Memorial Scholarship Fund and in 1972 was president of Friends of Iowa Public Television.

In Cedar Rapids in 1979 he founded the Cedar Rapids Group 181 of Amnesty International USA and served as legislative coordinator for Iowa for many years. He was also a past board member of the Hawkeye Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He had been a member of Rotary International in Ottumwa and Cedar Rapids for over 40 years and led a Group Study Exchange to Tanzania in 1988. He had been a member of the Ex Club of Cedar Rapids for 36 years serving as president in 1993.

In 2001, Bob and Beverly began their winters at their home in Key West. There, he helped establish the Florida Keys Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and a Key West Amnesty International USA Group. Bob and Beverly both graduated from the 16th class of the Key West Ambassadors' Program in May 2011. He enjoyed the local talent and performers at the playhouses, night clubs and bars.

His hobbies included worldwide travel, flying his airplane and running in marathons in the early years and 31 RAGBRAIs (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa). In 1995, he participated in the Iowa 150, which was a bicycle ride across the U.S. Bob was always an avid scrapbook and video historian for his family and friends. He loved a good party as much as he loved a lively discussion of politics. He was often found sitting on his front porch with a glass of chardonnay in his hand, greeting friends as they walked by and welcoming visitors to his island paradise.

We look forward to the time when friends and family can come together to remember this very special man and his remarkable life. Memorials for Bob may be sent to Amnesty International Group 181, PO Box 5914, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406.