Phillip E. Arnold, 71, of Bluefield, W.Va., died peacefully on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, in Roanoke, Va. Born on September 17, 1939, in Bluefield, he was a son of the late Clifford H. Arnold and Edith C. Aliff Arnold. Mr. Arnold was a member of Edgemont Baptist Church. He was a former employee of Arnold's Garage as a young man and had also worked at National Coil and Lin-Electric. Since his retirement, Mr. Arnold's hobbies became working on clocks, and he also found that he had a talent for painting, even showing his work in local art shows. He was a member of the Appalachian Art Association. In addition to his parents, Mr. Arnold was preceded in death by brothers, Clifford "Bud" Arnold Jr. and Wayne H. Arnold; and one sister and brother-in-law, Rita and Willie Shelley. Survivors include his wife, Janet Helton Arnold, of the home; one son, Matthew Scott Arnold and his wife, Clare, of Roanoke, Va.; grandchild, Haley Arnold, also of Roanoke; one daughter, Kimberly Nora Arnold, of Bluefield; siblings, Don E. Arnold and wife, Lavon, of Bluefield, Va., Yvonne Peery and her husband, Marshall, of Raleigh, N.C., Sharon Helms, of Washington, Pa., Karen Arnold, of Wytheville, Va., and Cynthia Blevins and her husband, Arthur, of Brushfork; several nieces and nephews; his devoted pet, Dude; and loving caregiver and niece, Lisa Webster and her husband, Robert, of Boones Mill, Va. A Memorial Service will be conducted at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 6, 2011, from the Mercer Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Ken Owens officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Friday from 2 p.m. until the service hour. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions, if desired, be made to the Linda Shumate Library Fund or to Bible In Schools Fund, c/o Edgemont Baptist Church, 2507 Jefferson Drive, Bluefield, WV 24701. Mercer Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family of Mr. Phillip E. Arnold.


Published in Roanoke Times on May 5, 2011