Robert J. Arnold

Robert J. Arnold, 85, of South Abington Twp. passed away Tuesday morning, March 9th.  He was the husband of the late Jeanette Ann Arnold with whom he spent more than fifty loving years.  Born in Ridgewood, Queens, NY, he was the son of the late Julius and Helena Arnold.

He attended PS 152 Queens High School.  After school Robert worked his way up from being a mail boy to a Shift Operations Manager for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company where he worked for more than forty years.  He worked on the very first computer systems -- Univac 1 -- and helped usher MetLife into the computer age across three different computer centers, Lake Success NY, Greenville South Carolina, and Clarks Summit Pennsylvania.

Robert was a member of Engine #1 East Meadow NY Fire Dept from 1962 to 1974. He served as 2 ^nd Lt. and Captain and received silver pins for Merit.  He was an excellent fireman, friend, and teacher to those he served with.

He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather – dearly known as "Opie".  He helped raise three generations of children and shared his love of camping, boating, the ocean, and the outdoors with everyone.  His life was centered around his family, the church and the community.  He worked diligently behind the scenes to help his wife establish the first chapter of the Appalachian Service Project at Clarks Green United Methodist Church.  He spent many summers working tirelessly to help others while at the same time demonstrating through his actions what community service meant to the youth of the church.

Robert is survived by his children, Karen, Debra, and Douglas and his wife, Nancy. His grandchildren:  Megan, Karey, Ryan, Kathryn, Zachary, Evan and Logan; and great-grandchildren, Thomas, Michael and Avery.

He was preceded in death by his son Thomas and granddaughter Denise Ziagos.  He also lost three of his best friends over the years, Bandit, Noah and Dugan -- they were his devoted English Springer Spaniels.

We would like to thank all of the staff at Moses Taylor, Allied Services, and especially the Bella Bay Team at Mountain View Care Center who have taken care of him during these extraordinary times over the past seven months, have made him feel at home, and ultimately helped him through his final transition.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home and Cremation Services Inc., 418 S. State Street, Clarks Summit. Friends may call on Monday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers please make any donations to Clarks Green United Methodist Church, 119 Glenburn Road, Clarks Green, Pa 18411.