Arnold Edwin Wollesen, of Corpus Christi, passed away in New Braunfels, Texas on April 3, 2018. Arnold was born in McAllen, Texas on September 9, 1950, to Arthur Edwin Wollesen and Bonnie L. (Shadle) Wollesen. He is preceded in death by his parents and numerous aunts and uncles. His life will live on through his surviving family members and many friends. He is survived by his daughter, Tracy K. Chiles, Ph.D. (Chris Chiles); grandson--his pride and joy, Hunter Wade Calley; sister, Joyce (Tim) Moore; niece, Jenna (Eric) Cooper; great-niece, Emma Cooper; and numerous others that were not born into his family but were loved like family.
Arnold lived a life of hard work and fun. He spent most of his professional life in various entrepreneurial adventures and sales. In 1974, he opened Jobbers Warehouse and won many awards and honors for his company’s successes in the automotive wholesale parts industry. In the late 1990’s, he owned a small country store, Mr. B’s, in St. Paul, Texas. He loved to talk and always enjoyed the company of others. He completed his professional journey traveling for retail sales and he continued to succeed with his everlasting recognition for hard work and dedication to his company and his ongoing commitment to creating an abundance of friendships on his journeys. He was a man that understood when a person’s word was full of honor.
Arnold never met a stranger and warmly welcomed everyone into his home. He got to know people everywhere he went and made lifelong friends along the way. He loved spending time with his family and friends, telling old stories, listening to classic country music while holding a Miller Lite. Throughout his life, he had a passion for being on Lake Corpus Christi and that is where you would find him most summer weekends, spending his time with his loved ones on his boat. Arnold also loved classic cars and talking about them. He could tell you the name, year, model and engine size on any car he owned. His favorite car was his 1967 Chevelle and it created many memories and stories that were cherished for years to come.
Looking through his high school yearbooks and reading comments, it is interesting to see how similar Arnold was 50 years later. He still had his outgoing personality, contagious smile, laugh, and a pure love for his family and friends. He lived his life the way he wanted until the very end.
A Memorial Service to honor and celebrate his life will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th, 2018, at Memory Gardens in Corpus Christi, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on his behalf to the American Diabetes Association.
