Arn Steven McFern

DEDICATED:

One of Arn’s strongest traits, of many, was his dedication. He had an unwavering dedication to his wife (Crislyn Warner), daughter (Aiden McFern), and true friendships. Arn was dedicated to protecting the ones he loved. Arn was dedicated to his capabilities which knew no limit! Sometimes that was an arm wrestle, maybe a bet that he never lost, but he was always dedicated to winning and demanded success. Without his total dedication, which is all he knew, most of his other positive attributes would not have been possible.

SUCCESSFUL:

Arn left his mark everywhere he went, starting in Indianapolis 53 years ago when Arnold and Laura Mcfern brought Arn into this world, then to the farms of Lancaster SC, to the clubs of Chicago, and on to Jacksonville, FL which he was proud to call “home”. He was a force to be reckoned with! Arn was successful on so many levels. Professionally, because he committed and devoted himself at a young age to work diligently, work hard, to grow, & to learn with the help of many great mentors to become “proven.” Failure was never an option, & he had a brilliant mind that yearned to learn... He was diagnosed with a very rare & intelligent form of brain cancer, how ironic for someone so rare and intelligent.

PROVEN:

Arn spent most of his days in the construction industry, spanning over 25+ years, searching for ways to get better at his craft, and to become proven. Over the last 8 years, I encouraged & witnessed Arn soar to the peak of his career, becoming the Regional Vice President of Construction for Legacy Partners. He spent his entire career cultivating himself professionally, and building up his reputation, year after year, to be considered “proven.” As Arn would often say “trust but verify” because everyone knew without a doubt within the industry he was beyond “proven”, based on his dedication and hard earned merits.

FOCUSSED:

Not only was Arn focused, but he expected those around him to be just as focused. He had the candid ability to focus solely on an opportunity for solution. He often used one of his go-to one liners, in times of distress…and would remind everyone that “this is not a problem, but it is instead an opportunity for a solution”. Arn demanded that the people around be nothing less than focused. In his spare time he thoroughly focused on how fast 4 wheels could hit the pavement, & focused on what else he could possibly do to push a car beyond its factory limits. Arn knew no boundaries if 4 wheels were underneath him! He knew no boundaries, and always faced situations head-on with total focus.

HONEST / LOYAL:

Two of Arn’s strongest attributes were honesty and loyalty, in ALL aspects of his life… especially when it came to his daughter, wife, & true friendships that were deeply rooted. The hard honesty he often shared and expressed wasn’t always easy to accept, but he spoke only the truth & deep within ourselves we knew it to be true. Life throws us curveballs, and Arn saw plenty of good times and bad times, but the one thing that never wavered was his commitment to honesty and loyalty.

POWERFUL:

Such a simple word for a man of such strength both physically and mentally. God gave him many gifts, being influential was one of his God given gifts. The impact and influence of the many lives he touched in his 53 years on earth would meaningfully be summed up to one word: “powerful.” Arn had the powerful ability to see things within ourselves we didn’t know existed. He inspired & encouraged us to cultivate & explore those depths within ourselves to be better people... he had this powerful influence of “unity” to lead people through hard times in their lives or at work professionally. Arn believed that strength and power started in the mind, and that one could only be as powerful as they taught, or trained themselves to be.

SELFLESS / FORGIVING:

Within Arn's network you knew he always ended a phone call with “do you need anything from me?” or “can I do anything for you?” before he ever hung up. That was proven testimony of Arn's character which was selfless, giving and genuine. Arn had the ability to sacrifice for others, and there was always “a means to the end". He sacrificed many things in life, but was a true believer that nothing in life comes without hard work, selflessness, and forgiveness. Much sacrifice went into the construction of our beautiful home that he was so proud of, and proud to call home. Along with the sacrifice, the completion of this home would not have been possible without the help of dear industry friends and colleagues. It just goes to show that good people will go out of their way to help other good people, and we know that Arn was good people.

COMPASSION:

After becoming a father to Aiden McFern on February 8, 2002 she forever changed his life and God knew he needed it! Aiden gave him purpose in life and grounded him. He was so proud of Aiden and how independent she is, her academic accomplishments, and was excited about watching her blossom into this strong independent young woman. After being diagnosed 8 short months ago with Glioblastoma, there was this burden on his heart in regards to sick children and he talked about it often. His compassion for life, and for others, speaks volumes in regards to his commitment to help those in need. When I hear the old saying that someone would give the shirt off of their back… I think of Arn, and always will.

Years ago he was a superintendent who was involved with building the Ronald McDonald House here in JAX and felt very connected and honored to be apart of its construction. It was the most meaningful work project he was ever involved with that deeply touched him and he frequently talked about it. That is the definition of compassion. With that in mind, I would kindly ask that if you feel led to make a donation, please do so in honor of Arn to the Jacksonville Ronald McDonald House, in lieu of flowers. He would be honored to know that he is still touching lives, and helping provide services for critically ill children and their families.

God obviously had a mission on earth and in heaven that needed the services of someone that was dedicated, successful, proven, focused, honest, loyal, powerful, selfless, forgiving, and compassionate. Arn fulfilled his earthly duties, and as The Father of heaven and earth, God called his son back home on Father's Day. Heaven must have needed a special angel, there is only one Arn McFern! I can’t wait for the day Arn is waiting for me at the gates of Heaven to spend eternal life together, “eternity” will finally be enough time with him because 8 years together felt far too short.

A Celebration of Life was held July 31st.

Link for donations to be made in Arn's honor:

https://rmhcjax.ejoinme.org/MyPages/DonationPage/tabid/312251/Default.aspx