Arnold R. Marr, 95, of Wayne, died Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at his home at Kinship Pointe, Wayne.
Services with Masonic Rites and military honors will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9 at First United Methodist Church in Wayne. Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until service time at the church. Burial will occur later with the family at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Madison.
Memorials may be designated to the First United Methodist Church of Wayne, or Eastern Star Children’s Home of Fremont.
Arrangements are with Hasemann Funeral Home in Wayne.
Arnold Ray Marr was born Aug. 16, 1926 in rural Madison to Ray and Gertrude (Chittenden) Marr. Arnold’s father passed away in 1934 and his mother remarried in 1936 to Frederick Volk. They lived on farms in the area and Arnold graduated from Plainview High School in 1943. He joined the Army and reported to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on Jan. 19, 1945. He was soon in Hawaii preparing to join soldiers in the Pacific Theater of WWII but the war thankfully ended. He was demobilized from Camp Beale, California on Aug. 27, 1946 after earning the grade of Tech-Corporal and being awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal.
Arnold then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln on the G.I. Bill and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture. It was there that he reunited with Joan (Schmer) from their high school days and became engaged. They were married at the First Congregational Church in Plainview on Sept. 4, 1949. The family moved to USDA Soil Conservation Service jobs in Kansas and Nebraska, which led them to Wayne in 1957 where they remained the rest of their lives. He loved working with farmers and one can still see many terraces and ponds engineered by Arnold on farms throughout Wayne County.
Arnold loved his five boys and his wife, Joan. In his younger years he was very involved in the First United Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge, scouting, the Izaak Walton League, hunting, fishing, card games, and teaching the boys a strong work ethic and accountability so they would develop into good young men. Many great memories were made on family vacations that consisted of camping, skiing, and fishing. After his retirement in 1981 he had some part time jobs to stay busy but he and Joan always made time to visit the boys wherever they lived, attend the grandchildren’s events when possible, and take friends to the doctor or the airport in Sioux City and Omaha. He also loved going to coffee downtown with other retirees and is one who never met a stranger, he’d talk to anyone about anything.
Arnold loved to walk after a health scare in 1985, and maintained his four-mile per day habit well into his 80’s. He hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up again the same day four times, the last time at age 70 with two sons and a grandson. As great-grandchildren came along, Arnold was always the one on the floor playing with them until his final days, and again living a joyous life with all who crossed his path.
Survivors include sons Rocci (Chris) Marr of Lincoln, Bill (Elizabeth) Marr of Panama City Beach, Florida and Doug (Megan) Marr of Overland Park, Kansas; 11 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years Joan, his parents, one sister, one step-brother, and two sons; Michael and Daniel Marr.
