I first got to know Arnie through work on a church committee. He was always pleasant and cared about what we were doing. I enjoyed his telling about his undergraduate education in West Virginia where he knew a friend of mine. My hearty condolences to his family. One does not quick adjust to the absence of a man like Arnie. We are grateful to people who leave good memories and good examples.
C. Philip Slate, D. Miss.

Dr. Postlethwaite was one of five members on my Ph.D graduate degree committee at the School of Medicine in Memphis, University of Tennessee.  I had trouble obtaining positive laboratory results with my experiments for about a year.  During one of meetings discussing my academic and laboratory progresses, Dr. Postlethwaite gave me very important guidance so that I could produce positive results.  I was able to graduate with several publications.  I came from a foreign country and lacked confidence in my English at that time.  I was quite reserved and never had much personal conversations with Dr. Postlethwaite. I did not know him well enough to tell more stories.  He also wrote me a good recommendation letter when I left Memphis.  Please accept my sincere condolences. 


Thank you family, friends and colleagues  for your messages of comfort and support.   So many of you brought him joy and happiness in his eighty years on this earth.  He was a kind  husband, father and grandfather and a supportive, dedicated mentor to his colleagues at work.              Sue Postlethwaite

Sue, Ben, and Brad,
I was very saddened to hear of the loss of your dear  husband and dad. We go back a long way to Quince Rd Harding days when Ben and Tommy were friends.I remember both Arnie and Sue being so involved in their boys’ lives. I enjoyed the pictures celebrating Arnie’s professional and military life, but especially the pictures that clearly illustrated his love and enjoyment of Sue and his family. 
Sue, my heart goes out to you as you adjust to the loss of your husband and friend of so many wonderful years! You are all in my prayers.
God bless and keep you.

I am working on my CV, and "googled" Dr. Postlethwaite to see if he was still living.  I am sad to read that he died a couple of months ago.  Dr P was formative in my life.  I was a lowly research tech in his lab for 2 years (1988-1990), in between college and medical school.  He was very patient with me, as I was a philosophy major (with premed prerequisites - he wasn't crazy!) and had no clue about how to do research.  What I appreciated so much about him was his gentle manner, his directness, and his nurturance of my basic laboratory knowledge.  He was always friendly and kind.  And I loved hearing him speak with adoration about his sons.  I lost my own father, who was also an accomplished physician,  2 months before Arnie died.  May these 2 giants who helped show me the way rest in peace.  

Dr. Postlethwaite was a kind awesome doctor. I was sad to hear of his transitioning. He was one of the few doctors that I as a patient felt was genuinely concerned about his patients health.  My condolences and prayers go out to his family and loved one. 

Dr. Postlethwaite was a great mentor and outstanding collaborator.  He was always generous in sharing his knowledge, ideas and experience.  I learned from and enjoyed his talent for coming up with new ideas and directions.  I will miss him very much.

In addition to friendship with  Arnold,  I served with him on a church committee dealing with global concerns.  He was a "gentle giant" who found no conflict between his hard science and his informed Christian faith.  I appreciated his heart for a larger world and its needs--Philip Slate, D. Miss.

Our friend Arnie was a highly accomplished Physician-Scientist of international renown. Professionally, Arnie was one of my (RR) most ardent scientific collaborators who not only brought his unique clinical perspective to our joint projects but also did lion’s share of the work. I will always cherish our joint publications as priceless gifts of our friendship.
I found a kindred spirit in Arnie who was somewhat shy with regard to forging new friendships. Arnie was a man of resolute moral convictions who assessed every situation objectively and unflinchingly articulated the unvarnished truth, as he perceived it. He was profoundly reticent to talk about himself but loved to talk about his children and grandchildren. We are heartened to know that Brad and Sandeep (our older son), who were medical school classmates, became good friends who will continue Arnie’s legacy as a caring physician. 
We wish to offer our deepest condolences to the Postlethwaite family and ask Almighty God to bestow upon you all the grace and fortitude needed to bear your agonizing loss. Dear Mrs. Sue Postlethwaite, Mister Ben Postlethwaite and Dr. Bradly Postlethwaite: you will always remain in our thoughts and prayers. 


    It is difficult to convey one’s thoughts on the loss of a colleague that you worked with for 45 years. Yet, certain things stand out in my memory. Without doubt, Arnie was one of the most unpretentious men that I’ve met, and he had plenty he could have been pretentious about: copious publications in respected journals, funded grants, SCOR Awards, invited speaker requests and international recognition, serving on multiple review boards, recipient of the Goodman Chair, serving as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology, and more; however, all said, you would not know it if you expected the words to come from Arnie’s mouth. If anyone mentioned his accomplishments in his presence, the most you would see from him was a modest smile. I envied Arnie in many ways. His memory was encyclopedic, and he possessed amazing drive and focus, when he put his mind to something. Gratefully, the one thing he wasn’t was a micro-manager. He sought out capable people, hired them and let them do their work. He didn’t intervene unless his attention was needed and when it was, he gave his opinions honestly and concisely. He could grumble with the best of us, but never let his emotions get the best of him.
      Our VA patients will certainly miss him as will. He spent over 50 years caring for them. Arnie’s service in Viet Nam gave him insight into their experience that no one else in the Division could offer. I know first-hand that they respected him highly for his skills as a physician and his forthright, understanding manner. It’s doubtful that any of the vets knew about Arnie’s service in the army, though I suspect they sensed it.
          It’s not possible to feel what your family is going through, but loss and emptiness are inevitable in loving families, with which he was truly blessed. The best I can offer is that sad memories soften with time, the good ones grow sweeter and stronger; and the bad ones grow fainter.  With my deepest symphathy, Mike

I had the honor to learn and to work in Dr. Postlethwaite’s lab on a collaborative project. He was very intelligent and supportive as a mentor, patient and kind as a person. He was easy to reach out to and had always been actively offering his experience during our project planning and result discussion. He filled downtime with interesting conversation. He generously shared his family stories with me in gracefulness when I struggled to pronounce his last name correctly. I appreciate and treasure this memory and may you rest in peace, Dr. P. 

Dr Postlethewaite was a great educator and will be missed by all his students spread far and wide across the nation.

I pray the Lord surround his family with Peace that passes understanding.

Dr. Postlethwaite  was a very kind compassionate person and it was an honor working with him for 40 years.  We made a good team.  We will always have our memories.

Rest In Peace Dr. P.


Dr.  Postlethwaite was a great mentor to me during my rheumatology fellowship. I had the honor of working both in clinic with him and also as a research assistant at the VA during a clinical trial. 
He was very kind and supportive of my goals as a mature fellow.
He will be missed by all, and his family is in my thoughts and prayers.  
Suzanne Moore 

Arnie Postlethwaite was a good friend of mine. I helped recruit him to UTHSC a long time ago.
We both served in the Vietnam war, although mine was a peaceful service and he was actually in the war under George Patton's son. He had a dark bruised area on one hand where he caught it in one of the moving parts of his Colt 45. I have such a weapon , although I did not carry or use it in the war. He was a dedicated academician, scientist and clinician .He was also a very religious man, and devoted to his family. He will be very hard to replace , and we, his family and friends,  will all miss him.
Sol Solomon, M.D., a colleague and friend.

Arnie Postlethwaite was a good friend of mine. I helped recruit him to UTHSC a long time ago.
We both served in the Vietnam war, although mine was a peaceful service and he was actually in the war under George Patton's son. He had a dark bruised area on one hand where he caught it in one of the moving parts of his Colt 45. I have such a weapon , although I did not carry or use it in the war. He was a dedicated academician, scientist and clinician .He was also a very religious man, and devoted to his family. He will be very hard to replace , and we, his family and friends,  will all miss him.

Sol Solomon, M.D., a colleague and friend.


Expressing my sympathy to the Arnold Postlethwaite family. He was a great colleague and friend and we have worked together on Vitamin D research for around twenty years. Arnie was a was always ready to try new ideas and eager to learn about the various actions of Vitamin D. He was a very valuable part of leaning more about the new analogs we had chemically prepared and provided great insight to their actions. He was very direct in his discussions and he was a wonderful friend to discuss research with on new drugs. He was very dedicated to his work. Thank you, Arnie. 

It was an honor and privilege to work with Dr. Postlethwaite for 37 years. He was a man of great intellect but he wasn't exceptional only in that regard, he was a good and honest man.  A tireless worker, he never asked more from someone else than he did of himself. His many contributions to the body of knowledge on autoimmune disease will be a lasting legacy. You will be greatly missed.
Rest in Peace, Dr. P.

Dr. Postlethwaite was a nice collaborator for my Ph.D. training, and a great scientist on therapeutic vitamin D too. I cannot remember how many times that I have been to his lab during 2012-2017, but every time I sent compounds to him, he was always making sure they were properly stored in the freezers for experiments. When I got to know he passed away recently, I was shocked because of the loss of not only a beloved professor but also a  great scientist very dedicated to his research. 

Dr. Postlethwaite will always be remembered as a dedicated scientist and physician, steadfast and patient. He was always a gentleman to everyone, always glowing with pride when speaking of family-especially his grandchildren. 

Although a great loss to all of us, his legacy will live on and he will always be remembered with gratitude. Sending my love and deepest condolences to the Postlethwaite family. 

I have so many great memories of Arnie 
Hard to choose which one to share
But I think above all he was kind
I had broken my arm and leg in a horse accident
He always checked that my shoe was tied because he knew I coukdnt do it by 
myself he tied my shoes everyday until I got my cast off. 

Dr Postlethwaite:
Your Memory will always shine for many generations as the symbol for Excellence, dedication and character.  Regardless of how busy you were, you were always there to assist, provide expert advice and give direction …   We will miss your kindness.....but, You are leaving a great legacy and a wonderful memory behind.  
Rest in Peace GREAT ONE.      



Arne or Dr. Postlethwaite, as I knew him, was a good man. He was always kind and thoughtful and he loved his family. I knew him because of my friendship with his son Bradley. Brad and I went to high school together and have been in the band Snowglobe together for more than 20 years.  No matter how much Arne pushed Brad to go into medicine he was always patient and supportive of Brad's dreams to make music. Now Brad gets to do both as he is now following his father's footsteps as a doctor at the VA and also recording music and playing shows on the side - that is when there isn't a global pandemic. From spending my 16th birthday in West Virginia with the Postlethwaite's to spending the night countless times at the cabin in Eads, I always felt welcomed and loved by the Postlethwaite family. I'll miss seeing Arne at school functions and shows, but know his pioneering spirit will live on. I'll definitely smile bigger when I hear a Phil Collins song or watch the Three Amigos, that I know for sure. Rest in Peace Arne. You were loved! 

Pt. 1

Arnie. What a man.

I grew up with the Postlethwaite family. Some of my fondest memories took place at their house and getting driven around by Arnie and Sue. Arnie drove like a mad man around those twisty country roads leading to their house, but I never once felt scared because I knew Arnie was at the helm. He knew every inch of those roads like the back of his hand and had full command of that “dually” truck. Sometimes it was one of the 2 Volkswagen Things that he had rebuilt by hand. He was what I considered a master craftsmen and mechanic, but in the oddest way... that’s a different story.

Brad and I have been in a band together almost as long as I can remember. When weren’t old enough to drive ourselves, Arnie would drive us downtown to play shows. This included the transportation of all the guitars, a full drumset, and a few very large and heavy amplifiers. My bass amp was particularly large and heavy. Huge, in fact. About the same dimensions as a refrigerator, give or take some inches here and there. And, like a refrigerator, it was definitely a two-man job. A two “normal” man job. Arnie, on the other hand, was no normal man... Upon arrival at the club, being the no-nonsense Arnie that he was, he gets out of the driver seat, walks around to the back of the truck, singlehandedly whips out that refrigerator-sized amp and walks it into the club and up the steps of the stage and place it in position like he was taking his briefcase to his office. It was unbelievable. Without even breaking a sweat. The first time he did it, he walked back out, looked at us and said “that thing’s a monster”, got back in the truck and drove off until it was time to pick us back up. This very sequence of events repeated itself many times over the years. He was our roadie! I still have that amp and to this day, we all refer to it as “The Monster”.

Pt. 2
This one little memory I share about Arnie really sums up a few key qualities of this man. First, he was a brute of a man. Enough said. Secondly, he was not someone to pussyfoot around an issue. If something needed to be done he made some calculations, got it done, dusted himself off and moved on to the next matter. Thirdly, he had a deep love for his family. He did this for his son and his son’s friends. He didn’t have to support our little rock’n roll band. He didn’t have to drive all the way from Eads to downtown Memphis to do physical labor. He loved Brad, without question. That came with accepting the things that Brad loved.

So, while our rock’n roll endeavors perhaps didn’t necessarily fall directly in line with what Arnie thought Brad and his friends should have been doing with our spare time, he still respected our needs to express ourselves and explore our creative outlets. And in his own way, he encouraged it. That last bit I have only recently in life been able to recognize. And in that, my respect for Dr. Arnold Postlethwaite only increased in a huge way.

What a great man. He has left a massive footprint here on this earth and an impression on the lives of hundreds and thousands and, as a result of his research work, probably millions. I will miss him, but he will always be here as an amazing inspiration and example of a great great human being. Thanks, Arnie.

I met Arnie through our mutual collaborator, Dr. Andrzej Slominski, about 10 years ago, when we were working on the vitamin D project for arthritis. From the first time I met Arnie, I was amazed by his knowledge and dedication to research. Whenever I went to his office for meetings or discussions, I always saw him sitting next to a pile of printed papers and reading them. When we wrote grant applications together, Arnie always came up with good ideas with detailed modifications/corrections to the applications. Both I and my grad students benefited tremendously from our privilege working with Arnie. He is so gentle and caring about others, and I still cannot believe that Arnie left us. This is not only a big loss for our collaborative projects, but also a huge loss of a close and caring true friend.   

I became associated with Arnie since 1973 when I recruited him from Duke to UT.  First as his mentor but later as a colleague and partner for the ensuing 47 years, we worked together closely in research, teaching and clinical care.  He was an absolutely dedicated and indefatigable researcher who put in long hours of work in pursuit of pathogenic mechanisms and development of new therapies for rheumatic diseases, especially scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis.  His accomplishments and contribution to research was an indispensible ingredient in our successful attainment of the prestigious Special Centers of Research in Scleroderma and in Rheumatoid Arthritis from the National Institutes of Health. As well, his leadership was essential to the attainment of the State (of Tennessee) funded Center of Excellence for Diseases of Connective Tissue.

Through nearly a half century of my academic life, Arnie has been a pillar of steadfast comrade-in- arms. We have had unconditional and absolute mutual trust and love for each other through the vicissitude of our academic lives.  Now, suddenly, he is gone and I feel empty and am deeply saddened by his departure.  May God bless his soul.


Still cannot believe that he is not with us any more. I have known Dr. Postlethwaite since I was an intern at UT. Despite having such an illustrious career he was so humble and kind that none of us ever felt intimidated in his presence. I have never heard anything from him but praise for our work and encouragement to work harder. He was a mentor, role model, great teacher, colleague and an inspiring human being. May Allah bless his soul and give patience to his family to bear this huge loss. 
I will miss him and always cherish his memories.

Sue, Ben and Brad, you are in our thoughts and prayers and have our sincerest condolences.  Dr. Postlethwaite was a great academician who always unselfishly gave his time to research, was a great teacher, clinician and role model for all of Rheumatology.  We will all miss him, his authenticity, and contributions…  

He will always be in our hearts and forever in our memory!

UT Rheumatology


Ben , just learned about you Dads passing . So sorry for your loss. I remember meeting him when we were in high school.
You’re in my prayers , Jennifer 

Sue, Ben, and Bradley,
Mal and I send our love and sympathy to you all.  We will miss him.
Jean Mauney

Sue, Ben, and Bradley-- I just learned of Arnie's passing. What a lovely man he was--distinguished, scholarly, kind! I admired him greatly. I was touched by his dedication when Sue broke both wrists and he became her nurse and caregiver. I was amused and touched to see his love for his grandchildren and the joy they brought to him. I admired his deep pride in his two sons and their accomplishments. May he live on through his research and his accomplishments, and may he find everlasting peace in eternal rest with the Savior.

OBITUARY

Dr. Arnold Eugene Postlethwaite

3 December, 1940 – 18 January, 2021

Memphis Funeral Home

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