Friday, January 26, 1973
Mesa 13th Ward Chapel
2:00 P.M.
CONDUCTING: BISHOP NEVIN PAYNE:
Brothers and Sisters, friends, and family of Brother Arnett, on behalf of the family, the very deepest gratitude for the kindnesses which you have shown the family at this time. They are grateful, Brothers and Sisters, they recognize the kindness and consideration which you have shown at this time. And Sister Arnett asked me to especially thank you at this time and I would like to do this on behalf of her and the rest of the family.
To these young people up here in the chorus, especially, I would like to express to them my feelings toward their grandfather, great grandfather. I have had the privilege of knowing him for quite awhile, not as long as some of you, but long enough that I know that if you set your goals and follow the example which he has set, you will never stray far from the gospel. And I would like to challenge each one of you, at this time, to set as your goal the pattern which was set by your grandfather and your great grandfather. In all the years I have known him, I have never known him to do anything he needed to repent of. How many of us can do the same?
We would like to begin our services this afternoon by the Grandchildren's Chorus singing, "I Am A Child of God", after which the invocation will be given by Garth Whatcott. Then, the program will follow as on the brochure.
HYMN: GRANDCHILDREN'S CHORUS, "I AM A CHILD OF GOD"
Soloists:
PRAYER: GARTH WHATCOTT:
Our kind, loving and all-righteous Father in Heaven, we have met this hour to pay our respects to one of the choicest spirits in Thy kingdom, Brother Thomas William Arnett. Father, we are grateful for the privilege we have all had of associating with Brother Arnett, for the influence for good that he has exerted on each one of us, for the many fine traits of character that have been shown to us in his past example. Help us, Father, to emulate those things that he has taught each and every one of us. At this time, Father, we ask for the Holy Comforter to be with his lovely wife, Sister Cornelia, and with his children and loved ones. That they may be comforted in this hour of sorrow and realize the wonderful place that this process of death has in Thy eternal plan of life. We pray for Thy spirit to be with those who are participating in this program today that they may be able to render themselves in a manner pleasing unto Thee. Again, we ask Thy blessings to be with the family and with loved ones, that they may be comforted and Thou be with us throughout this service and throughout the day and the morrow as we proceed to the cemetery. All Thy blessings we pray for that would be for our best good, and do it in the name of Thy Loving Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.
HYMN: GRANDCHILDREN'S CHORUS, "I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES"
LIFE SKETCH: DORIS ARNETT WHATCOTT
I have prayed most earnestly for the Lords's help to be with me today, that I may pay a fitting tribute to one whom we love so dearly.
Dad, Thomas William Arnett, departed from us last Monday, January 22, 1973. Two great men departed that day, President Lyndon Johnson and Tom Arnett. Of the two, in my opinion, Dad is the far greater man, and in the realms of Eternity, in my opinion, will have a much greater place. I can visualize a grand reunion as Dad was greeted by Mother, Annie Gale, by two sons, Marvin and Fred, a granddaughter, Ilene, his parents, Ahija and Loucinda Arnett,a brother, Albert, who died many years ago, a young sister, Edna Mae, who died as a young child, and two sisters, Lella and Linda, who lived to be adults and whom we as a family, learned to love and enjoy. A daughter of each of these sisters are here with us today. For which we are most grateful. We are so thankful to have them in attendance with us.
Those of us who are living here, will remember that Dad was here with us for the reunion we had at Christmas time. We had such a wonderful time! And, now, they too are having a reunion, after a separation of many years. Only this time, I feel that his eyes can see more clearly, that he can hear what is going on better, and he can walk without faltering. And so I feel that this is going to be a grand reunion for them.
He departs this life knowing that he takes with him the love and respect of his devoted and loving, Cornelia. His 4 living children, Howard, Charles, Doris, and Dorthy and their companionsñI feel that Dad had as great a love for the companions of his children as he did for his own children. And I am sure that the feeling was mutual. He also knows that of the 39 living grandchildren, he had all of their love and respectñand 26 great-grandchildren. He is, indeed, a great patriarch to his family. No man could be loved greater nor deserves to be honored more. He loved and enjoyed his family so much. And we all love and honor him as the wonderful person, husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather that he is. And it is for this reason that we felt that we, as a family, wanted to pay tribute and honor to him today by presenting the program at his funeral.
Dad was born on March 27, 1885, on a cattle ranch about 20 or 25 miles from the very small town of Gainesville, Texas. He is the oldest child of 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. The family moved to Benjamin, Texas and this is where he attended school. He states in his history that his schooling amounted to about 5th or 6th grade. Or at least, he reached the 5th reader, he said.. And then he states, "I have seen in the last several years where I have sure missed something by not having more education. I think I could have gotten along better in my work and things would have been easier."
This may be the case, but I feel that he truly was an educated man in the things that matter.
As a young man, he went to Porterville, California to live with a cousin, Lona and her husband George Landrum, who had gone there to live. He stayed there about 2 years, then he went to Bisbee, Arizona to work in the mines. It was while he was there, that he met and married Mother, Annie Gale.
They lived there for some years. In fact, the 2 older boys, Marvin and Howard were born while they were living in Bisbee. Dad's health became bad because of having to work in the damp, underground mines. So he was forced to quit the mines and he worked for a short time in a lumber yard there in Bisbee. And then they moved to Franklin, Arizona. Here, he engaged in farming, and for a short while, in ranching in Franklin. Four more children were born to them in Franklin, Charles, Fred, Doris, and Dorthy. And except for 1 year spent in Prescott, Mother and Dad lived and raised their family in Franklin.
Dad worked hard all his lifeñvery hard--farming, raising cotton and feed for his cattle. He was ever a Texas cowboy, at heart. Even though he farmed, he always had a little herd of cattle somewhere. The greatest scenery he could see would be a place where cattle were out grazing in a green field or range somewhere. And he loved a good horse. He never completely got away from being that Texas cowboy.
During these years he did lots of custom hay baling for people in the valley. His 4 boys was his crew. Now, you realize that in those days, hay baling machines were different than they are now. They were not the automatic balers that we see now days in the fields. This took a crew to tie the bales, to feed the hay into it, to punch the wiresñall this had to be done by hand. And Dad and his 4 boys were the crew for this hay baler. In talking to the boys, Charles said he had never, in all his time of working with Dad, never saw him get upset to the point of getting angry and losing his temper. Even more so, he had never heard himñall of the times of working with him in hard workñyou know, where you sometimes bump your finger or mash your finger, the horses balk on you, and the cows won't give their milk down--and sometimes kick you or the bucket overñhe had never heard him say a swear word or a dirty word, or in any way be filthy-minded or filthy-mouthed. And I can say this same thing, as his daughter. And I am sure that each child can say that. He was very clean in his mind, and in his thoughts and in his words and actions.
Dad was not a member of the Church when he married Mother in 1915. He joined the Church in 1922, seven years after he and Mother were married. In visiting with Sister Childs the other day, she said that he is the only person she knew who, when joining the Church, didn't have to make any changes. When he joined the Church, he didn't have to stop smoking, drinking, swearing, or telling dirty stories, or any of those things. He didn't have to begin loving his neighbor or being honest or being fair, nor being gentlemanly or thoughtful of others. These things, he had done since youth.
He was ordained an Elder and the family went to the Temple in 1927 to be sealed. He served in the Sunday School Superintendency and in the Bishopric of the Franklin Ward. And he served, with Mother, on 2 Stake Missions to the Indians in Mt Graham Stake. And another mission in the Franklin area, after Mother passed away.
Mother died on October 5, 1956 and Dad stayed on in Franklin, until at our--the children'sñ insistence in 1959, he sold his farm and moved to Mesa. Reluctantly. He didn't want to come. He felt he was doing fine there. But he bought a little home on Second Street here in Mesa. There he lived and spent some very lonesome months. He would read a lot and attend the Temple some. Aunt Lella came often to stay with him and to visit with him. They enjoyed so much visiting with each other. And then, one day he met Aunt Cornelia at the Temple. She writes:
"We met at the Temple one day in spring,
It seemed to us then such an ordinary thing.
Not love at first sight, we were both content
To go on alone, on this we were bent.
We neither had thoughts of another mate,
We thought that for us it was rather late.
We'd go on alone for the rest of the way.
And work in the Temple most every day."
But this idea changed, slowly and gradually and finally they decided, after much deliberation, not to go on alone, but to share their lives with each other. And on November 7, 1961, they were married in the Arizona Temple.
I would just like to take this time to pay tribute to Aunt Cornelia. When she came into the family, she told us, "Now, I don't expect to take your Mother's place." And she hasn't. But she has one of the most special places in our family a person could ever have. She has taken care of Dad physically, spiritually, emotionally and in every possible way. She saw to it that he got his teeth fixed, his hearing aid when he needed it. She saw to it that his clothes were clean, his food was fixedñAnd Oh! He did love the way she fixed the food! How many times have I heard him say, "Oh, I wish everyone could have a good dinner like this!" And on top of all this, they were happy and enjoyed the companionship of each other. So we, as a family, want to pay tribute to Aunt Cornelia and for what she has done for our Father. When I say this to her, she says, "Well, I didn't do it for you kids, you know". And I know she didn't. She did it for Dad. And Dad loved it. And she loved doing it, I know. This, we want her to know: She will always have a very specialña very, very specialñplace in our hearts.
They lived in a little apartment there in 13th Ward. Their Bishop mentioned to me last night that it has been such a joy to have them in the Ward and they've been such a support to him, as a Bishop and have been such a great asset to the Ward. Even when Dad couldn't see very well, couldn't hear well, and his legs didn't carry him very well, and Aunt Cornelia had to have a cane, they were always found in their little spot in the Chapel.
As a closing tribute to Dad, I don't think that I would be exaggerating one bit, if I say that Dad, known as Uncle Tom to most peopleñat least, in the Duncan Valleyñwas one of the most loved and respected men, particularly in that area where he lived so long. Not because of any great civic, political, social, or educational accomplishment, but because of his great sense of integrity. He was most honest and fair person in his dealings, as well as in every way. As Charles pointed out to me: In their hay baling days, it was always considered 30 bales to the ton. And that, of course, would make each bale weigh sixty-six and two-thirds pounds. And Charles said that there was a way of regulating this so it could be more than less. So that if a person wanted to, and sometimes this was done, I suppose, they could make 30 bales not be a full ton. But he said that he knew of no one who ever questioned whether Dad's 30 bales to the ton was a ton or not. They knew that if Tom Arnett said it was a ton, it was a ton. And in selling or trading his cattle, everyone knew him to be totally fair in the trade. And, of course, as was mentioned before, being raised on a cattle ranch, and associating with cowboys and rough outdoors men as he was in his early days, many people would consider it normal for him to be loud and rough in speech as well as in actions. Or to smoke and drink and all the things that rough cowboys sometimes do. But he has been the most kind, mild, soft-spoken, and considerate, patient person in the world. This is not to say that he was a "milktoast", that he let people walk all over him. As Aunt Cornelia said, "He's a stubborn little beggar!" And sometimes, if it was a matter of principle, he didn't let you get away with it. She also said, "It's not any fun to argue with him, he just won't argue." So, it isn't that he would let people do things that he knew was not right, but he, in his mild, patient way, would show you a better way.
He loved life and had a quick wit. The very last time I talked to Dad, on Sunday evening, just 24 hours before he died, he still had not lost his sense of humor and his wit. And he was still concerned with other people. He was concerned, the whole time I was there, about Aunt Cornelia. He thought he was at home and she was away and we needed to see about getting her home. And then he was sitting up in a most uncomfortable position, when I walked in. I visited with him for a few minutes with him holding on trying to sit up in that very uncomfortable position. I said, "Dad, aren't you uncomfortable?" And he said, "I'm miserable!" And I said, "Well, can't we roll that bed up?" And the attendant came and rolled it up. And Dad said, "That poor man has rolled this bed up and down 97 times, I'm sure." He was too concerned for that poor man to ask him to roll that bed up 98 times. He wanted to not be any trouble.
Aunt Cornelia tells me that in all the years they were married, daily, he prayed, "Heavenly Father, bless me that I will not be a burden. I will not be helpless." I know that his prayers have been answered. He had a horror of being dependant on other people. He had a testimony of the Gospel and dedicated himself to service in the Church. He has encouraged us children and grandchildren to do the same. He has occupied many positions of leadership in the Church. And has always been supportive both in spirit and in finances of the Church. He loved his family and was so proud of his children and grandchildren.
Just at Christmas time, we were making a tape to send to our twin boys who are in the mission field. And we wanted him to speak on it, which he did. And on this tape, he said, "We are so proud of what you are doing and the good boys that you are." He has in his descendants, Bishops, members of Bishoprics, and Stake Missionaries. And, to date, there has been a total of 30 years of full-time missionary service given by his descendants, with 2 more due to leave soon.
At the end of Dad's history that Fred and I helped him make, he gave this message: "As a closing message on this history we have made today, I would just like to advise you children and your children and all my posterity to live righteous lives. Always hold your testimony in the Gospel and be active in the Church affairs. Live honest, honorable lives that you might be an example before the outside public. So that they will always think well of you and say that I'd like to live as those people live." I think that this sums up his philosophy of life as well as his wish for his posterity.
I'm so grateful for goodly parents and for family and friends. And I pray that the Lord will bless us, his descendants, that we will continue to pay tribute and honor to him by living as we know he would like us to do. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
HYMN: MALE GRANDCHILDREN'S CHORUS, "I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR"
TALK: REX ARNETT
Brothers and Sisters, as the oldest Grandchild I'm indeed honored to be asked to say a few words at Grandpa Arnett's funeral. I'm so grateful to see so many of you that I haven't seen for so many years. It was almost like the veritable Gale Reunion out in the other room, and if we seemed a little irreverent, it was all very appropriate. Because we love so many of these people. They mean so much to usñold people from the Duncan Valley, and not-so-old people from Mesa, and people from various places that we haven't seen for so many years. How good it is to be here! And I can't think of a place in the world that I'd rather be, at this moment, than right here. Or a thing that I'd rather be engaged in, in all the world, than to be right here with my loved ones, honoring a man who's fulfilled the measure of his creation. And if we truly understand the plan of our Father in Heaven, we will rejoice. The scriptures tell us, in the 42nd Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, that "we shall live together so much in love that we shall weep for them that die. And more especially for them that have not hope for a glorious resurrection." Now, the first category of those people, that the Lord speaks of there, that's us. We can't help but let a tear fall, here and there, and we must have some grief and pain and sorrow over this event that has come into our life, but as far as the second part of that scripture which says that "we shall weep and grieve especially for those who have not hope for a glorious resurrection," that certainly could not be said of this group of people who are here today.
Mention has been made of the fact that a great American President departed this life on the same date as Grandpa Arnett, Uncle Tom, or Dad, or Brother Arnettñwhatever term is more comfortable for youñlet me say just a few words about that, because I'm, at the present time, from LBJ country. I was among the thousands of people who went to the LBJ Library last Tuesday evening. I thought, at midnight, I would be able to pass by but there were so many people, I wasn't able to get in. I drove day-before yesterday morning past the ranch and took LBJ Ranch Road 1, and I saw them there preparing the coffin. Yesterday morning, in a motel, I watched along with the whole world through the miracle of modern communication. And we saw this great man laid to rest.
Now I wouldn't want to distract, in any way, from his greatness and from that which we owe to one of our country's Presidents. But what, Brothers and Sisters, would you prefer: To be buried among the great political leaders of the earth with the sounds of trumpets and ruffles and flourishes and processionals and caissons and guns and military guards and fly-overs? Or the simple voices of your sweet posterity singing, "I am a child of God"?
You know, Grandpa Arnett, his musical talents were limited to "Froggie Went A-Courtin'". He used to think that music was a great miracle. He told me one time, "I don't understand how people can compose music. That is one of the great mysteries of the world, how they can make songs." But there is not a tone-deaf one in the bunch. We didn't even have a chance to practice or perfect it, and it sounds good. That's a great miracle! Isn't it?
In 1885, one man was born into the earth, without talent, without any great things, seemingly, to bring to the earth. And now, vast numbers of his progeny, in various and divers places, exercise their talents and their capabilities to serve and help their fellow men. What greater tribute can a man have than that?
Mention has been made of Grandpa's limited education. As a professional educator, I have thought a little about that. And I think about the three R's that I would like to say just a word about that today. Those three R's are: Remember, Reaffirm, and Resolve.
In Proverbs, 22nd Chapter, it says that, "a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." Notice that the writer said, "chosen". It isn't just given to one, but its chosen. A good name is chosen by the way one lives. "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favour rather than silver and gold. The rich and poor meet together; the Lord is maker of them all." It is very appropriate that we remember Grandpa Arnett, that we remind ourselves of his greatness.
I think Aunt Doris has done a marvelous job of recalling some of his attributes. Some of the things she mentioned overlaps prepared remarks that I had. We don't need to repeat and prolong. So I will skip over some of those things that I had thought of. And simply say that he was gentle, humble, trustworthy, respectable, hard-working, reliable, sober, loyal, faithful, simple, self-reliant, a peacemaker, lover of righteousness, truth-seeker, loving husband, kind father, and an obedient servant of our Father in Heaven.
Mention has been made of his honesty, which is almost legendary in The Valley. His humorñthere are so many incidences, I hardly know which to choose from. So many times in his very quiet, but subtle--very incisive humor brought tears to the hearts of many people.
We honored him, here in this building, on his 80th birthday. And I hope you won't think its out of place for me to just read a couple of things that I wrote. I wrote a little poem that day and had such fun with it. Some of it wouldn't be appropriate now. It was appropriate then. Just one thing.
If you've ever been to the Franklin WardñThis is a little poem, but is based on a true incident:
"If you've ever been to the Franklin Ward
You would know that it is quite a place.
They built a church, they worked so hard
To raise the money was quite a race.
At a party one night, things were moving slow.
And then they had a fashion show
Three beauties entered in the door
Their faces to the wall
They daintily sauntered across the floor
Twas a wonderment to all
Then one raving beauty turned aroundñ
There was Grandpa in an evening gown.
People of Franklin will remember thatñand many other things. One more verse that I wrote at that time. And we had such fun over this:
Another time they had a supper
Box lunches stacked in a pile.
At the program one man lost his upper
Folks were laughing in the aisle.
Grandpa, too, he bought a box
And ate his supper with Sister Fox.
Now, I chose that one because, with all due respect, there weren't many people who wanted to eat with Sister Fox. But that shows what Grandpa was made ofñit really does! And I remember that, and I was just a young boy just entering my teenage years. And here were people trying to avoid someone's box. Not him! I'll do it! And he did it gladly and graciously, and gladdened the heart of this sister. Made her feel that she was wanted, and that's such an important quality in dealing with human beings.
I've learned so much from this man! I have just completed a 5-year term as a Bishop. So many times, have I drawn on the heritage this man gave me. You know, a man's works follow him.
They followed him. One day, as I opened up new memberships, I opened up one and there was the record of the person who had moved into our Ward. I looked down it, as I usually did, and it said, "Blessed by--Thomas William Arnett". It was the daughter of people who had lived in Franklin, temporarily, and he had blessed this child as a baby. And now she was, as an adult, a member of our Ward.
Now the second of the three R's: Reaffirmation. Grandpa Arnett embraced this Gospel. He believed in it and had a testimony of it. "Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God. Believe, also, in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you into myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." He knew, as I know, and most of you here know, that Jesus Christ really did go to prepare a place for us. And in the patriarchal order of the priesthood he now goes, as a servant of our Father in Heaven, to prepare a place for us. During recent times, I've been more and more impressed with the preciousness of the priesthood and what it means. Grandpa Arnett was a High Priest. He held the Melchizedeck Priesthood.
I want to read just a few verses as to what that really means, from the 84th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. And what great promises it gives, both to him and to us:
The scriptures say, "And whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods, of which I have spoken," (The Lord meaning the Aaronic and the Melchizedeck Priesthoods.) And the magnifying their callings are sanctified by the spirit unto the renewing of their bodies."
You know, as I had the privilege to bestow the Priesthood upon people who came into the Churchñnew converts, and others who reached the age that it was appropriate to advance them in the Priesthood, I used to read them this scripture to them. And the more times I read that, the more times I have studied it, the more I'm convinced that of all the promises of our Father in Heaven, this particular scripture, known as the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, is the most precious promise that our Father in Heaven can give to any of His children. Thomas William Arnett obtained both of the Priesthoods that are spoken of. He, therefore, being faithful in that Priesthood and keeping the Oath and Covenant which is specified in that scripture, he is due the following blessings. In this scripture the Lord says if you do this, you get this. And then He names them offñOne, two, three, four,five things. They are not numbered like that, but they come one right after the other. And listen very carefully to these. You young Grandchildren. You, who may be struggling for a testimony of the Gospel that Grandpa Arnett had. Listen very carefully. In this moment when you are teachable, listen! Because this is what this man has earned and this is what you can earn. First of all, by righteous living and by the Priesthood, as I have already mentioned, you are sanctified by the spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. Because of that we will look at this man in another form. We will speak with him. We will visit him. We will love him. We will be able to enjoy his company.
Secondly, "they become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham. And the church and the kingdom and the elect of God." And until you go back and read what the Lord promised Moses and Abraham and Aaron, you don't know what that means and you are inclined to short-change it. But if you do go back and read those promises that were given to those great and mighty men of the earth, what a great thing it is that God has given to all of usñto Thomas W. Arnett and to Marvin Rex Arnett and to all of these Grandchildren and to all of you, the opportunity to become the heirs of Moses, and of Aaron. Now, Moses and Aaron and Abraham, their will has already been probated. They didn't leave a thing for us in terms of value that we might find in a tangible way. But they left great, great spiritual blessings. A few more verses: "They who receive this Priesthood, receiveth me, sayeth the Lord for he that receiveth my servants receiveth me. And he that receiveth me, receiveth my Father. And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom, therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him." All that the Father has! No greater promise can be made to anyone than to have ALL that the Father has! To be like Him! I know that this is so. And so, we, on this occasion, reaffirm. And someone needs to. I think that was part of my assignment today to bear testimony and reaffirm those things that we believe in and that he believes in.
Now the third R, is simply the R in Resolution. And if we do not leave this place better for having been here, then we cannot honor this man appropriately. If each and every one who has come here today, or who have known this man, are not better for having done so, by their own accord (certainly won't be his fault) then we certainly will have missed part of the reason and part of the point of which this gives us the system whereby we mingle with each and know each other.
Many, many years ago, when I was very small, Grandpa Arnett hitched up Lucy and Daisy to an old wagon. We went down to plant wheat. And Grandpa thought that I was old enough to drive that wagon. He said, "Now, there are some tracks there. You stay just about 20 feet from those other tracks that are along the side there. I'll get in this big tub of grain seed and I'll throw it out as you drive along and we'll sow this pasture, this field. And so we started. I wasn't a very good driver. Sometimes I was right up against the previous track and sometimes I was half a mile away. And you can imagine what kind of a wheat crop that would have been. And after a couple of rounds of pretty miserable luck, Grandpa--not dismayed in the least, as was his mannerism as has already been described here todayñcalm and how gentle he was. He looked at me and he knew that he had a pretty miserable hand. He said, "We've got to try something different." So he got the wagon pointed in the right direction, and he leaned on my shoulderñjust a little fellow, quite small as most of you remember anyway for my age. He pointed his finger over my shoulder and he said, "Do you see those posts down thereñthose fence posts? One of those is higher than the other three or four that are around it." Yes, I could see it, right over the edge of his finger. He said, "Now you keep your eye right on that fence post and don't take your eye off it. You drive right straight to that fence post, as straight as you can get and we'll sow the grain." And so we did. When we got to the other end, he turned around and he picked out another landmark. He pointed it out and said, "Now, you go directly to that place." Your know the point of that story, Brothers and Sisters, as well as I do. And he is standing there, just as alive as he ever was. He's not only pointing the way for me, but for all of you. To this, I bear you my solemn testimony, that I know that the Gospel is true. And I know he points the way. And he will be there to welcome us and to tell us "well done, thou good and faithful servant" when we reach that place. May the Lord bless us all to live up to this great heritage. May He be with Aunt Cornelia. Her family has suffered much in recent times and losses. You know, Grandpa Arnett lived without any real disappointments in life. Oh sure, he had problems. It wasn't easy to bury two sons. Incidently, Ilene's birthday was today. The only Granddaughter that has preceded him. But he lived without major disappointments. Because he set his heart on the right things. He didn't seek power, wealth, or riches. He didn't seek to control anybody. So, therefore, he was never disappointed. He believed in the right things and he achieved the right things. And I say these things and leave them with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
HYMN: GRANDCHILDREN'S CHORUS, "LOVE AT HOME"
PRAYER: BORGE ANDERSEN
(Transcribed and typed by Doris Arnett Whatcott, October 5, 2000, from a copy of an audio tape, recorded at the funeral services. This copy was given to me by Norma Arnett. This tape ceased recording during the chorus' rendition of the closing hymn, "Love at Home". Thus, part of this hymn, the closing remarks by the Bishop, and Borge's prayer were not included on this tape.)
