Charles L Arnett

On December 17th a wonderful man, Charles Lawrence Arnett (Charlie), passed away peacefully in his bed at the home of his younger son, Chuck, and daughter-in-law, Sharon, in Boca Raton, Florida. Charlie lived on this earth for 105 years, particularly enjoying the opportunities he and his wife, Genevieve (Gia), had to live and work in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Charlie, born September 13,1914 in Center Point, Iowa, was the oldest child of Lawrence and Marie Arnett.

Charlie spent his childhood in Hot Springs, South Dakota, graduating from Hot Springs High School in 1932. Charlie met Genevieve in high school and they married in September 1932. Not long thereafter they moved to Washington D.C., where Charlie earned a Bachelors in Accounting from Strayer College of Accountancy and went to work for the Bureau of Internal Revenue. He joined the U.S. Army in January 1944 until December 1945, fighting in Europe in WWII in the Battle of the Bulge amongst other European campaigns. After the war, Charlie worked again briefly for the IRS, and then he moved his family to Iowa City, Iowa where he owned and operated a cab company for three years. A friend at the IRS told Charlie about a relatively new government agency, established under the National Security Act of 1947, that was looking for good people. Charlie joined the Central Intelligence Agency in1952 in the Finance Area and worked there until he retired in 1972.

During his service, Charlie and Genevieve lived many years in McLean, Virginia between assignments in Munich, Berlin, and Frankfurt, Germany. They also had assignments in Beirut, Lebanon, Taipei, Taiwan, and briefly in Saigon, Vietnam. Genevieve also worked for the CIA both home and abroad. Charlie and Genevieve loved living overseas, and visiting nearby countries during vacations. At the urging of many of their friends who had found a great spot, Charlie and Genevieve joined them and retired to Ormond Beach, FL in 1972. They had 28 great years there with many friends until Gia passed away in September 2000. Charlie remained in Ormond Beach, but after the passing of many of his close friends he came to live with his son, Chuck, and daughter-in-law, Sharon, and family in Boca Raton, FL in November 2005.

Charlie quickly became a neighborhood favorite and had a network of friends as he was always in good spirits with his engaging Midwestern sense of humor. He worked out at his son’s gym three times a week until he was 98, reluctantly giving it up when his right knee gave out. Charlie also enjoyed cheering on his grandson, Logan, in his many high school sporting activities. He was a big football fan, watching many games over the years together with his son. He was especially happy watching his Iowa Hawkeyes play so well in recent years. Up until about two years ago when his eyesight diminished, he read three library books a month, along with two daily newspapers, working the crossword puzzles. He never took any medications but did indulge in red wine occasionally, and dark chocolate and ice cream were favorites. His mind always remained sharp and we think this combination, along with his kind and caring demeanor, were the secrets to his longevity.

Charlie and Genevieve had two sons. Larry, the oldest, lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Laura. Chuck lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Sharon. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Larry and Laura’s family include Susan Searle with husband, Mark, and their children Austin and Lanna in Colorado Springs, Paula Arnett in Los Angeles, and Lance Arnett with wife, Beth, and their children Chase and Allie in Colorado Springs. Charlie enjoyed and appreciated receiving an e-mail every Thursday from Larry updating all the family activities in Colorado Springs. Grandchildren in Chuck and Sharon’s family include Sweeney in Seattle, Washington and Logan and his wife, Linzie, in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Charlie has a younger brother, Bob, who with his wife, Marge, lives in Whittier, California. Charlie’s other younger brother, Dale, is deceased. Many very dear friends will also miss Charlie.

Thanks to everyone for all your kind thoughts, and certainly hope and believe that those of you who had the good fortune to visit with Charlie will have fond remembrances of him and his ever friendly smile. There will be a small service with family and close friends sometime in January in Boca Raton.