Charles Donald Arnold

Charles will be deeply missed by his sons Ron and Lynn, his daughters in law, Rae and Lisa, his grandchildren, Chris, Sean, Amanda, Charles, Rachel, Clay and his cherished nine great grandchildren along with countless friends and extended family. Charles will follow his wife, Mildred, of seventy-six years to his heavenly home.

Charles was born January 8,1921 in Berthold, North Dakota. He was the seventh son and the ninth child in a family of twelve children. Six boys in a bedroom with weather regularly below freezing as well as chores on a working cattle and wheat farm, taught this farm boy a lot of valuable lessons.

At 20 years old, Charles was drafted into the Navy and began his pilot training across the country on numerous different bases. It was outside one of these bases in Oklahoma City that he met the love of his life, Mildred Sutton. This began a long love affair for the history books and soon after he married this sassy young lady, he shipped out to fight the war in the South Pacific for nine months.

During the war Charles was an exemplary officer and earned the distinguished flying cross for his act of service flying a wild cat off the USS Hogget Bay.

The war was an extremely difficult time for everyone, but especially for the men and women in the service. Charles was not exempt of the scars and sorrows that a war inflicts, but he managed to survive and come back home to his young bride and start his post war life.

First order of business was a delayed honeymoon to Canada and then back to Sweet Home, Oregon where Charles built a house and Mildred blessed him with two sons.

Charles experienced many work opportunities from being a harvester traveling from Texas to Canada, and going to bible college becoming a preacher, as well as having a flock in Arapaho, Oklahoma. Charles settled into education in first teaching in Long Beach, California then becoming a principal in the Oceanview School District where he retired in 1979.

Charles and Mildred traveled all over the world visiting, Egypt, the Holy Land, Italy, China, Europe and Mexico making the most of their retirement years. The adored their grandchildren and often took them on their trips. One of the most wonderful trips was a cruise to Alaska with the entire family, that everyone agreed was so generous and memorable.

Charles was the best example of the Greatest Generation. Everything he did was not for fame or recognition but because, as it was stated, “The Right Thing to Do.” He put his life on the line for our country every time he flew a mission and believed in honor and responsibility.

It is said that heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary by their actions. Charles repeatedly voluntarily flew into the unknown. He was someone who, when everyone else backed down, he stepped forward. His faith and commitment were unwavering as evidenced by the amazing life he lived. He was and forever will be, our hero.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fairhavenmemorialservices.com for the Arnold family.