Obituary of John Arnold

John Arnold, age 87 of Duxbury, died peacefully the morning of December 27th. He was the son of the late Walter Richmond Arnold and Jessie Alison Arnold. His mother, who wrote under the name of Alison Arnold, was the Society Editor for many years at both the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe. John grew up on Beacon Hill in Boston and summered in Duxbury until he became a year-round resident in 1963. He attended the Rivers School, Phillips Academy in Andover and Harvard University, Class of 1954. After graduating from college, he received his commission in the US Navy as a Lieutenant and served aboard the US Hale during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged, he entered the insurance business working for various companies until forming Arnold Insurance Services which became a founding member firm of M Financial. John was, at various times, the President of the Harvard Club of Boston, President of The Harvard Varsity Club, President of the Massachusetts Golf Association, President of the New England Golf Association and Commodore of the Duxbury Yacht Club. He was a member of The A.D. Club, The Country Club in Brookline and the Duxbury Yacht Club. John was an extraordinary athlete. This fact displayed itself early when as a youth he was known at the “Beacon Hill Bone Crusher“ in the Pillow Glove division at Camp Chappa Challa in Duxbury. Showing his versatility, he also won first prize in the Tuesday Afternoon Beacon Hill Dance Class in the Waltz. At Phillips Andover, he was a star pitcher for three years and beat arch-rival Exeter several times. In his senior year, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians but opted to attend Harvard instead. John was a three-year varsity pitcher at Harvard and played in the Cape Cod league during his college summers. He had success at Harvard culminating with a victory over Yale his senior year. John’s real passion in life (besides his wife, Sidney) was the game of golf. He was the Men’s Champion 12 times at the Duxbury Yacht Club and 4 times at The Country Club. He and Sidney also won the Massachusetts State Husband and Wife Championship. He was a member of The United State Seniors Golf Association, The Hickory Shafts, and The Lesley Cup. He was the Vice Chairman of the 1988 United States Open Committee at The Country Club. He was also a long-time regional rules official for the United States Golf Association. John is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sidney Foster Arnold and his 3 children, George Richmond Arnold and his wife, Kerry of Park City Utah, Alison Kinney Arnold of Duxbury and John Wilson Arnold and his wife, Cindy of East Longmeadow, MA. He also leaves his 4 grandchildren; Hailey Arnold of Telluride, CO, Jesse Arnold of Chicago, IL, and Annalyse and Travis Arnold of East Longmeadow, MA, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Peter Arnold, and his sister, Mary Katharine Gilbert. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, June 21 at 1pm at the First Parish Church in Duxbury, with a reception to follow. Internment will be private. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in John’s memory to the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund, 300 Arnold Palmer Boulevard, Norton, MA 02766