Arnold Preaus Anderson

Born on a farm in Norma, North Dakota, on September 10, 1925, Arnold’s family moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1936. Theirs was one of many mid-western families who abandoned their farms after the Great Depression and farmland drought.

Arnold met his sweetheart, Genevieve Lestelle Pattison while attending Eugene High School. Following graduation, he served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II. Soon after he completed his service, they were married in 1946 in Eugene.

As a young man Arnold had a strong interest in electricity and radio circuits. He sold newspapers on the street corners of Eugene and became a forest fire lookout in the Willamette National Forest. When he returned from the military, he became a circulation and sales manager for the Oregon Journal. Arnold enjoyed marketing and salesmanship and became a professional sales manager with the 3M Corporation and Shuford Mills of Hickory, North Carolina. He was a dedicated and imaginative motivator, and was successful in growing Shuford’s sales every year as West Coast Sales Manager. He managed sales for their Western Division which extended from Denver, Colorado to the West Coast and Hawaii. Arnold excelled in management and particularly enjoyed the planning of special events with his sales team.

Arnold and Lestelle loved the out-of-doors and spent weekends, holidays and retirement traveling the western states in their small travel trailer. Oftentimes their layover points were simple pull-overs by quiet mountain streams or alongside off-road tracks amidst curious looking rock formations or newly discovered wilderness areas. Arnold’s long-standing interest in photography was continuously fed by these travel excursions and he assembled a remarkable array of slides and pictures which were displayed in numerous slide shows and graced the covers of glorious greeting cards for the pleasure of family, friends, church and senior groups.

They also enjoyed remarkable international travel, including to Russia soon after it became authorized, to Eastern Europe and China. The photographs taken on those trips became cherished reminders of wonderful days together.

Arnold was active within his American Baptist Church family, serving regularly as a Sunday school teacher, usher, trustee and, occasionally, as Church Moderator.

Arnold’s greatest service was his commitment to God, family and friends. He viewed his responsibilities as to encourage, support and love, and to provide a secure anchor around which others could grow. For those who knew him, it was his tremendous sense of humor that drew them close.

Arnold is survived by his beloved wife, Lestelle; four children, Karen, Stephen (and wife, Borgny), Timothy (wife, Pamela) and Melinda (husband, John); nine grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren.

A Memorial Service for Arnold will be held on Saturday, November 14th, at 3:00 PM. It will be held at Portland First Church of the Nazarene, 6100 SW Raab Road, Portland, OR 97221. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Friends of Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden (P.O. Box 86424, Portland, OR 97286) or to the church of your choice.