Helga Arnold

Our merciful Lord reached out His gentle guiding hands to Helga Heiden Arnold on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009. She passed at 3 p.m. in New Orleans from a stroke surrounded by her loving family. Helga will be greatly missed by everyone that knew her. She was born to the late Wilhelm and Martha Heiden, on Nov. 18, 1933, in Anklam, Germany. She met our father, Charles "Buck" Arnold while he was stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army. They married in Stuttgart in 1958 and moved to Baton Rouge to start their lives together. She learned English from watching the "soaps" on TV with our grandmother Lucy. She later achieved her citizenship in 1981 for which she was very proud. Helga made several friends, many lasting more than 50 years, by joining a German club here. Our mother had many passions in her life, her family and friends, cooking and entertaining, and her home full of flowers. You could always tell our house by the beautiful display of flowers and plants growing in our yard. Helga was preceded in death by her husband Charles, who passed in October 2006. She is survived by three sons, Sigmar and wife Jerry, of Arlington, Texas, Michael and wife Mona Lisa, of Tampa, Fla., and Kurt and wife Marsha, of Denham Springs. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Alex, Jessica, Allison and Paul. The family would like to thank the staff, past and present, of Regency Place for all they did to make Mom feel more at home. Visitation at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East, 11000 Florida Blvd., from on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Memorial services at the funeral home on Friday from 10 a.m. until noon, conducted by Troy Mercer. Interment is planned at a future date at Naul Cemetary in Baywood. The family wants to extend their deep appreciation to all of those who have extended their sympathies and prayers.