Madison Arnold Obituary, Death – On June 18, 2015, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Madison Arnold, 92, of Midway, passed away at Living Center West. As the son of David and Gertrude Arnold, he entered the world on February 13, 1923 in Coal Fork, West Virginia. His mother and father, along with four brothers and two sisters, all passed away before him. Among his relatives, he was the last to die. His great granddaughter, Kaydence Holmes, and his wife of 64 years, Keitha, both passed away before him in 1999 and 2010 respectively.
In 1929, the Arnold family left West Virginia for the tri-state area that includes Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. Madison’s family moved around once a year during the Great Depression, so he had to attend a number of different elementary schools. He earned his diploma from Montrose High School in 1941. He excelled in baseball and basketball throughout high school, earning letters all four years.
Madison enlisted in the armed forces in 1941, but was released for health reasons before seeing active duty. In 1942, he uprooted his life and began working for Lynch Transfer in the Cedar Rapids region. He met his future wife, Keitha, at Lynch, and they tied the knot on Easter Sunday, 1946. Aside from his time at WR Grace and Company (Cryovac Division) from which he resigned in 1990, he also spent time working for the Illinois Central Railroad, the Iowa Manufacturing Company, the Russell Miller Company, the Linn County Nursery, and finally, Heath Trucking.
He underwent the first of three major heart operations in 1979, and for the following 25 years he struggled with heart issues. He underwent laser heart surgery in Louisville, Kentucky, where physicians drilled 29 additional ventricles. This was the turning point in his heart health, and with the support of new procedures and technologies made available at St. Luke’s Cardiac Care and the visiting nurses, he continued to improve over the next decade.
For 65 years, Madison attended Cedar Rapids’ First Church of the Nazarene. He volunteered his time and energy in a wide variety of capacities at the church, including on the board, as an usher, and in groundskeeping and maintenance. His three sons, Dr. David R. of Mount Vernon, OH, Rev. Daniel M. (Evie) of Council Bluffs, IA, and Douglas P. of Center Point, OH, as well as nine grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren survive him. His grandchildren are Holly (Justin) Koons, Heidi (Terry) Holmes, Hilary (Brian) Holmes, Mandy Arnold, Joshua (Angella) Arnold, Brittany Arnold, Makaila Arnold, Sophie Arnold,