William "Bill" E. Arthur

On August 3, 2020 Bill Arthur of Naples, Florida passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family. He was born February 13, 1929 in Logansport, Indiana and the youngest of 6 children to the late Frank Arthur and the late Blanche Arthur.

Bill was a man who wore many hats throughout his life. As a young man he raced stock cars in Indiana, and often talked about the first time his mom saw him race, he crashed his car “to pieces.” That was the last time she saw him race.

He loved to talk about his days as a salesman at the paper company and traveling throughout the Midwest visiting factories, selling product and quite often ended up fixing factory machines. He traveled so much that airport gate agents, flight attendants and pilots knew him by name.

He settled in Florida and called Naples his permanent home in 1969. He was an event promoter for country music and worked to arrange concert venues, book talent and promote events. He also sold real estate and in fact remembers showing the home he eventually purchased in 1980. He managed the Witch’s Brew Restaurant, Lounge and Package Store, where he met his wife Marilyn.

His next endeavor was being the owner and operator or the Golden Gate Dairy Queen. He was often referred to as the “ice cream man” because he offered tours of the store to elementary school classes, where they learned how DQ soft serve ice cream was made and the kids got to make their own Ice Cream cones.

Throughout his lifetime, he dedicated his time to serving his community and helping others. He was a charter member of the Naples Nites Lions Club in 1969 and has served various leadership roles within the Lions organization. He supported Leader Dogs for the Blind located in Rochester, MI., in which he helped re-train leader dogs in Florida. In more recent years, he also supported the founding of Southeast Guide Dogs in Florida. He was a President of the Golden Gate Area Chamber of Commerce, and served the Golden Gate Civic Association as a Director. He was a two time President of the Florida Lions Eye bank and tirelessly promoted cornea tissue donation to help save someone’s sight. In collaboration with Lighthouse for the Blind, he travelled throughout the local area to test young children’s eyesight and hearing free of charge.

He is survived by his wife Marilyn Arthur, and three daughters; Leila (Tony) Lehtonen, Renda (Martin) Driscoll and Angela Calhoun. He now joins his parents, siblings and eldest daughter Sharon Jean Schmidt.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and for everyone’s safety, in place of calling hours and formal services, his family asks that you post your condolences, memories and pictures you may have on his memorial page through Hodges Funeral Home www.hodgesnaplesmg.com

In lieu of flowers, his family requests donations be made in remembrance of William E. Arthur to Leader Dogs for the Blind, Rochester Michigan or Florida Lions Eye Bank, Miami, FL (please see links below).