James A. "Jim" Arkell

James “Jim” A. Arkell, 61, of Weeki Wachee, FL and a former resident of Citrus County for 20 years, passed away on Thursday, May 12, 2016. A native of Newtown, CT, he was born Oct. 16, 1954 to Alfred E. and Norma (Miller) Arkell, one of three children. Jim, as he was known to many, moved to Citrus County 22 years ago from Bethel, CT and to Weeki Wachee two years ago. He enjoyed a long career as a long distance truck driver, working for commercial carriers over the years in the states of Indiana, Washington, Tennessee and Florida. He loved his job as a trucker and visited every state in America except Alaska in his duties. Jim was passionate about motor cycles and loved everything about Harley-Davidson, he also enjoyed reading, fishing, and spending precious time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War Era from 1972 to 1975. Mr. Arkell is survived by his loving wife, Dianna Arkell, Weeki Wachee, FL, with whom he shared nearly 41 years; daughter Crystal Jacob (Brad Hollis, Jr.), Weeki Wachee, FL; Michelle Mosier (Marcus), Jacksonville, FL; his mother, Norma Arkell, Homosassa, FL; brother Kenneth Arkell (Lisa), New Hampshire; sister Judith Ozment (Jerry), Dade City, FL and grandchildren Matthew, Taylor, Nickolas, Lillian and Adrian Jacob as well as Donovan Mosier. In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Joe Ozment. A celebration of Jim’s life will be held at the Wilder Funeral Home, Homosassa, FL on Mon., May 23, 2016 at 12:30 P.M. with interment following at 2:30 P.M. at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL with military honors. www.wilderfuneral.com