Lawrence “Lonny” Francis Arrington

He was born April 11, 1947 in Columbus, GA to Paul and Claire Arrington. Lonny voluntarily enlisted in the US Navy in 1966 and served until 1970. He was a Medical Corpsman with the 5th Marine Division in Vietnam. Lonny earned a BA from Widner University (1974) and a MS from Troy State (1984). He returned to Columbus, GA in 1974 to teach at Pacelli High School, his alma mater (class of 1965), where he was affectionately known as "Coach." Lonny lead the Lady Vikings Softball team for 24 years. Lonny was also the head coach for four other teams for 20 additional seasons and was an assistant coach for many other sports teams. During his tenure at Pacelli Coach taught ten different subjects, served as the Dean of Men, chaired two academic committees, and was the faculty advisor for multiple student clubs. Additionally, he coached community teams, supported the Special Olympics, and other community causes. Lonny retired from Pacelli in 2013 having impacted students on the field, in the classroom, and in the community for 39 years.

Lonny is survived by his mother, Claire Gallagher Arrington; his wife of 43 years, Barbara Louise Arrington; five children, Drew, Blake, Della (Knowles), Laura, and Amanda; nine grandchildren; and three siblings, Donna (Berry), Paul Jr., and Fran.

A Memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 15, 2017 at Christ Community Church in Columbus, GA. Interment will follow at 11:30 AM at Parkhill Cemetery in Columbus.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Lonny's name to TeenAdvisors (706-322-6186; teenadvisors.org) or Wounded Warrior Project (855-448-3997; woundedwarriorproject.org).