Avelina Valdez Arnold

Avelina Valdez Arnold the eighth of eleven children, born of Jacinto & Prudencia Valdez of Key West, Florida by way of Havana, Cuba. Avelina departed Key West to visit her brother Thomas (Cube) in Georgia in the late 1930’s. While visiting her brother, she attended one of his baseball games and spotted a handsome young pitcher on the opposite team. His name was A.W. Arnold, Sr., and he would become her future husband. A.W. had a mole on his right cheek that attracted her to him. Avelina shyly told her brother Cube that A.W. was the one she wanted to meet. From that moment, cupid took over and they never looked back. They were inseparable. They eventually married and Avelina gave birth to three children, a son who died at birth, Annie Mary and A.W., Jr. (also known as Ginjale). In 1949, while working so very hard in the cotton fields of their merely existing farm, A.W. observed Avelina was being tortured by the blazing sun while chopping cotton. It was at that moment A.W. decided that this was not the life that he wanted for his beautiful wife and two children. Both Avelina and A.W. agreed that it was time to lay down the farm tools and carve out a better life for their family. Avelina & A.W., Jr. departed Georgia en route to New York, with a short stay in Philadelphia. They then made their way onto the Bronx to live with A.W.’s sister Elizabeth, her husband John (Jack) Adams and family. Annie stayed behind in Georgia with her father and grandparents. A.W., Sr. and Annie later joined Avelina and A.W., Jr. in New York. The family eventually settled down in Suffolk County, Long Island on memorable 6 Eden Rd. in Bay Shore. Avelina worked at Pilgrim State Hospital in New York until she retired. Avelina and her beloved A.W. welcomed the opportunity to return full circle to the beloved state of Georgia in their retirement.

Avelina was a valued member of The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith for well over forty years. Avelina and A.W. led a rich and prosperous life committed to helping family and friends. She provided encouragement and support with her generous spirit and loving heart. Her doors were always open to those in need. She leaves a legacy of being a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Avelina was predeceased by her loving husband A.W., Sr., who went on to glory August 5th, 2000. Avelina will be missed dearly and will always be in the hearts of her family. She is survived by her two children: Daughter Annie Brewster and her Son A.W. Arnold, Jr. and wife Sonia. Nine grandchildren: Hewlett Brewster and wife Edna, Johnny Brewster and wife Maritza, Avelina Kittles Johnson, Alfred (Freddy) Arnold, III and wife Margie, Marc Arnold and wife Louisa, Tonia Arnold and fiancé Jerome, Ja-Ja Arnold and wife Arlene, Aisha (Arnold) Joyner and husband Khallis, Jelani Arnold and fiancée Elizabeth. She is also survived by 23 great-grandchildren and 27 great great-grandchildren and a host of beloved nieces, nephews, and other relatives.