Jimmie Arnold's Obituary
Just days before his 86th birthday, Jimmie Arnold passed away to enter His Heavenly Kingdom after a long struggle with several chronic healthcare conditions. He was a lifelong resident of Ft. Myers and Lee County.
Born into a multigenerational Florida family, Jimmie came into this world being born in his grandmother's small wood frame house in North Ft. Myers. It was a time when doctors still made house-calls for deliveries, and his was not an exception to this ageless practice. He was to be the oldest of four boys. His family was a poor working-class family, struggling to better their lives in post-depression Southwest Florida. By the time he was four, the family had moved onto the property of the Slater Sawmill off of Bayshore Rd., where his father (Sylvester) was a lumber foreman. They lived in an old railroad car at the sawmill, re-purposed, and re-imagined through the labors of his mother (Edna Jane Howard), despite the boxcar having neither running water nor electricity. By the time he was 15, Jimmie had his first job at Al's Grocery and Market. Among other duties, he was tasked with the weekly responsibility of sweeping the parking lot of the large complex in North Ft. Myers. His income was needed to help support his parent's effort in building a new home in Tice for the expanding family. Jimmie would work continuously from that day forward until being partially paralyzed by a stroke some 7 and 1/2 years ago. A veteran, Jimmie spent eight years in the Florida National Guard, primarily based at the Ft. Myers Armory, although trips to Army bases in Georgia were frequently required while training for a possible post-Korean conflict deployment. He was a volunteer special deputy for many years in the 1960's and 70's for former longtime Lee County lawman, Sheriff Flanders "Snag" Thompson. His formal training for this role was merely raising his right hand, taking an oath to "protect and serve," after which he was given his uniform and badge. He provided his own gun for the endeavor. A graduate of Ft. Myers Senior High in 1955, Jimmie soon thereafter became very interested in heavy equipment and trucking. He would start his own trucking business in Lee County, and for most of his adult life, this would be his primary vocation, as well his avocation for decades to come. His "toys" were grading tractors, front-end loaders, bulldozers, and the ever present Mack fill-dirt trucks. Never interested in travel or pastimes, Jimmie preferred work over everything and seldom ventured far from the job-site. His business interest included land clearing, fill-dirt hauling, grading and paving, but at heart, he would always want to be remembered as a truck driver, nothing more. While unknown to most, his signature can be seen through his work product on innumerable homes and commercial sites throughout Lee County. Jimmie is preceded in death by his parents, and two of his brothers (Eddie and Vester). He is survived by his brother Mike (David Parks), and his three children: son, J. Keith (Maureen), and daughters, Jami Patinella and Crissie. Additionally, he is survived by his six grandchildren: Casey McCarthy (Patrick), Carli Patinella, Codi Cheveldave (Cole), as well as Jay, Jared, and Natalie Arnold. Jimmie leaves behind four great-grandchildren: Jaxon Davies, Emmett and Maeve McCarthy, and Sloane Cheveldave. Arrangements are being made by Ft. Myers Memorial Gardens on Colonial Blvd. for a memorial Celebration of Life to be held on February 11th, at 11:00 AM, in their funeral home chapel. Interment will immediately follow on the same grounds. Neither flowers nor charitable contributions are desired by the surviving family members, but rather hug a family member or friend and appreciate the wonderful moments you have together.
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