Gertrude Wheelock Arthur

Gertrude Wheelock Arthur. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Gertrude Ann Wheelock attended public schools there. She then attended Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore and Stuart Hall in Staunton, Virginia. In 1942, she married Lt. Arch Hurt Seewald of Memphis, Tennessee. The marriage ended when Lt. Seewald was killed at Remagen, Germany near the end of WWII. Her second marriage was to Navy Lt. Harry Baker Arthur, jr. of Albany, Georgia. Capt. Arthur died in 1983. As a military family, they moved many times, living on the east, west and gulf coasts as well as Guam and Hawaii. While living in Honolulu, Mrs. Arthur worked for a time as a social reporter covering the military family news beat for The Honolulu Advertiser. A lifelong love of flowers led to a custom flower arranging business in Arlington, VA. At about the same time, she joined the Flower Guild of the Washington National Cathedral, serving as a group captain and as an instructor. Memberships included the DAR, Colonial Dames of Maryland and United Daughters of the Confederacy. She was a member of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA. Survivors include three sons, Arch Seewald Arthur (Judy), Harry Baker Arthur III, and George Wheelock Arthur, one sister, several nieces and nephews, five grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Funeral and burial services will be held on May 14, 2014, with burial taking place at Arlington Cemetery at 11 AM, and a memorial service later that afternoon at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Arlington at 2 PM.