Ray Douglas Arnold

Ray was born in 1942 in Arkansas City, KS as the second of four Brothers to his parents Robert Anderson “R.A.” Arnold and Lulu May “Lu” Hughes (both deceased). For his first 13 years, Ray and his older brother Larry would conquer the world side by side as the family would travel the country from one job site to another as their father followed the work. The family would find their way to Tucson, AZ in 1953 and shortly after Ray would join the Tucson Boys Band and go on to tour throughout the US and Canada playing the trumpet and entertaining many. His brothers Dick and Dan would be born shortly thereafter to round out the family.

Ray would find a talent for gymnastics while in high school, which would lead him to multiple state championships and was anticipated to become a member of the US Olympic gymnastics team. A training injury two weeks prior to the tryouts would leave him with both shattered Olympic dreams and a shattered right leg that would lay him up in a cast for over six months. Fortunately, the injury would lead him to a lifelong passion that would become instrumental (pun intended) throughout the rest of his life as he would teach himself to play guitar during his recovery. Within two weeks of getting out of his cast, a car accident would break his leg a second time and put him back in a cast for an additional six months of learning the guitar. While he would return to gymnastics briefly after, it would be his guitar skills that would become a conduit to many friends and adventures throughout his life.

Ray would graduate from Catalina High School and continue his education at the University of Arizona, but he would withdraw from the university before graduating. With the US entrenched in Vietnam, Ray would volunteer for the Air National Guard in 1966. After a year of training, he would return to Tucson, AZ where he would join the pipe fitters union while still serving in the guard as well as re-encountering Sue Ann, his soon-to-be wife of over 54 years. They would date for the next two years before marrying in 1969. Ray would complete his Air Guard service in 1970 and with his wife and guitar in tow; he would follow the union work from job site to job site making many new friends and playing his guitar everywhere he went, often becoming the star of the party with his songs and music.

In 1974, Ray and his wife would welcome their son Billy Ray to the family. In 1975 the family would temporarily move to Louisiana for six months before Ray would receive his union call to go to Alaska to help construct the Alaskan Pipeline. They would all return to Tucson before Ray would head to Alaska multiple times over the next year, again with his guitar in tow and again making friends and becoming the life of the party.

After Alaska he would continue to work out of the union hall for several more years before transitioning his field experience into an engineering office environment. He would head up piping and estimating projects for the next 30 years before retiring in 2005. He and his wife would relocate to Saint David, AZ in 2009 where he remained until his passing.

Ray is survived by his wife Sue Ann, son Bill (and Ling), granddaughter Emma, his brothers Larry (and Carla), Dick, and Dan (and Moira) as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Besides his family, Ray also leaves behind many friends that he met throughout his life.

In loving memory of Ray D. Arnold, a memorial service shall be held at the Benson-Grace Church, 451 W. Duane Street, Benson, AZ 85602 on Saturday March 9th, 2024 at 1:00 PM. After the service there will be a small social gathering for friends and family at the church.