Arnetta Mae Trunnell Dunn

Arnetta Mae Trunnell Dunn of Owensboro, KY has joined her beloved husband, John Ed in heaven. Arnetta was born in Calhoun, KY on March 4, 1932 to Henry Herbert and Iva Blythe Trunnell. Arnetta was one of six children and she is predeceased by her sisters, Wilma Boulware, Marjorie Tichenor and Gwen Chiborek and her brothers, John and Charles Trunnell. She is survived by her children: Loretta Lunenfeld Schmitzer (David) of Wilmington, NC; Suzanne Murdock (Curt) of Hampstead, NC; Jason Dunn (Vickie Banks) of Alexandria VA; and Kevin Dunn and his partner, Katie Dumont of Cincinnati, OH. She will be especially missed by her grandchildren: Jack Lunenfeld, Maureen and Kyle Murdock, Kendall and Brendan Dunn, Ashley and Erica Scheller. She will also be missed by her nieces and nephews and large extended family, including the Lunenfeld boys: Jeff, Steve, Doug and Andrew and their families.

Arnetta attended Murray State College where she met the love of her life, John Ed. She received a B.S.N. in Nursing from Western Kentucky University. Between raising 4 kids, Arnetta worked at Owensboro-Daviess County Hospital for 53 years, the longest serving nurse in the hospital’s history. She also served as President of the Kentucky Nurses Association from 1981-1982. Arnetta received numerous honors, including Kentucky Nurse of the Year in 1984. In 1994, Arnetta started the Free Clinic in Owensboro, a medical clinic providing free health services to the uninsured. She worked tirelessly to enlist doctors, nurses, aides and pharmacists to provide care for those who could not afford care by volunteering their time. For her work with the Free Clinic, she was awarded the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award for Volunteer Service as well as the Star Award for Outstanding Community Leadership.

Arnetta also devoted her time to Yellow Creek Baptist Church (YCBC) where she attended services for 75 years. At Yellow Creek, she held several roles: she led the Bible Drill competition and Speakers Tournament for 37 years, working with hundreds of children at the church to teach them the books and verses of the Bible; she taught Sunday School and was the Director of Vacation Bible School. Arnetta loved to bake and was an excellent Southern cook. She also loved to travel and did so extensively. She visited all 50 states, over 40 countries and all 7 continents. She walked the Great Wall of China, kissed the Blarney stone, visited the former republics of the Soviet Union, held a koala in Australia, walked in the waters of the Jordan River, and swam in the Antarctica Sea.

A funeral service will be held in Owensboro, KY and a Celebration of Life is planned for later in Wilmington.

Expressions of sympathy can be made in the form of donations to the Young at Heart class at Yellow Creek Baptist Church (https://www.yellowcreekbaptist.com/).

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