Eddie Arnold

Eddie William Arnold, age 73, passed away in Tucson, Arizona on July 9th, 2021.

A native born Tucsonan, Eddie was the son of Delmer Arnold (from Butler, Tennessee) and Mary Minopoli (from Bagnoli, Italy).

Eddie grew up in Tucson and was a 1965 graduate of Flowing Wells High School where he played football, basketball, baseball, golf, and was on the track & field team.

While attending the University of Arizona he met the love of his life, Dianne Fields. They married on January 24th, 1970, and stayed happily married for over 51 years.

Eddie is defined by his love of family, personal & professional integrity, and a kind & generous heart. Eddie and Dianne raised 6 children together and welcomed 19 grandchildren into this world, for whom he was their beloved “Poppy”. Eddie’s word was his bond, and this served Eddie well as he achieved his Master’s Degree from the University of Arizona in Healthcare Administration. He led several large hospital organizations in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Eddie also gave back to his community as a long time Rotary Club member and past President. In Eddie’s last years before retirement, he switched to sales with Royal Buick, and his integrity and authenticity helped him consistently achieve top salesperson awards. People knew where they stood with Eddie and people could trust him. As such, Eddie had a large cast of loyal friends, many of whom stretched back to his childhood school days in Tucson. Especially Tim Smith, who has been such a good friend, he was more like the brother he never had.

Eddie got to experience the past 11 years of retirement with his wife Dianne as they both enjoyed some vacation travel together. But, Eddie mostly enjoyed hosting his 6 children, all of their spouses, and all of his grandkids frequently at his home for a weekend dinner.

The past two years were hard - given that his wife, Dianne, was diagnosed in 2019 with Lymphoma cancer. Eddie stepped up like a champ and has been a rock of support and care as he has helped her with every round of treatment. Then, when Covid 19 entered the scene, he continued her care throughout the pandemic. The large frequent family get-togethers had to be suspended due to the situation, so he loved any opportunity to drive out of his way just to drop off a birthday gift or to talk to family and friends on the phone. And, anyone who knows Eddie will tell you… he might seem like a quiet guy at first… but boy, he loved to talk and he had stories for days.

Eddie is preceded in death by his parents, Delmer & Mary, and by a special granddaughter, Jamie Arnold (daughter of Jason and Nikki).

Eddie is survived by his wife of over 51 years, Dianne, and by his 3 sisters; Ruth Roubal (Tom), Jennifer DelFrari (John), and Dianna Rosler (Richard).

Eddie is also survived by his 6 children; Bryan Arnold (Lindi), Jason Arnold (Nikki), Jennifer Baker (Barrett), Kristin King (Braden), Danny Arnold, and Melissa Cruz (Juan).

Eddie is also survived by 18 grandchildren aged 18yrs through 5yrs.

Bryan’s: Anthony, Carter, Evan, and Aubrey

Jason’s: Natalie and Alec

Jennifer’s: Caroline, Katie, and Brenton

Kristin’s: Caleb and Allie

Danny’s: Gabe, Abby, Penny, and Eli

Melissa’s: Johnny, Dezi, and Nico

Eddie’s wish was to be cremated. There will be a memorial celebration of life service on Tuesday, August 3rd at 4:30pm at East Lawn Palms Mortuary & Cemetery located at 5801 East Grant Road, Tucson, AZ, 85712. For the convenience of all guests and for the safety of Eddie’s wife, Dianne, the services will also be live streamed from the East Lawn Facebook website as an alternative option for people at https://www.facebook.com/EastLawnPalms.

Instead of flowers, we would like to ask to please consider a tribute donation in honor of Eddie to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at https://www.lls.org.