Francis (Frank) Arnold, age 59, passed away at his home on Tuesday September 29, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. Frank was born on October 2nd, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from LaSalle-Peru High School in Illinois and attended Illinois Valley Community College. He married Sally Stockton in 1983 and had his son, Bryce. He met Laurie (Hicks) Wilcox in November of 2001 and they were married on April 26, 2005 in Jamaica. Their union blessed them with a blended family of three boys whom all have since married. Frank referred to all of them as “our children”. They are Bryce Arnold and his wife Erin (Jensen); Clinton Wilcox and his wife Erin (McMillen), and Eric Wilcox and his wife Rose (Upton). He was then blessed with five grandchildren (in order of age), Sawyer, Adley, Jaxon, Gavin, and Rhylin.
Frank loved playing softball and had played for several teams throughout the years with the last team being the “Demons”. He also loved to
golf. Even when his body was weak from the cancer and/or treatments, he continued to golf almost every week up until just weeks before his passing. He was no longer able to drive for the last year or more and his faithful, beloved friend – Joes Riede – would pick him up every Thursday so that he could continue to golf with Joe, Chuck Erwin and Dave Hoye. Frank had many doctors and special nurses during his care with special mention for nurses Tammi Singleton and Jen Krier. He was blessed and honored to have his friend of many years, whom he had requested to be his Hospice nurse, Mary Horstman.
Frank was a man with a huge heart and was a very giving person. If someone needed his help, he would be there to do what he could for them. Frank loved spending time with family and friends. He loved to make any Christmas and birthday occasion very special. His greatest joy of all was spending time with his grandchildren, playing with them and always making sure he had whatever food, flavor of ice cream/popsicles/candy that each one of them could possibly want while they were staying at Papa and Grandma/Nana’s house. He was a very proud “Papa” and each of them provided him with a very strong will to live which enabled him to live as long as he did.
Frank was preceded in death by his parent’s, Judith A. (Snyder) Arnold and John P. Arnold, brother Daniel L. Arnold, sister Susanne (Suzie) Barger and his “special angels”, son’s Seth Patrick and Dane Nicholas, and his grandparent’s, Ovilio and Marge Zanarini.
Celebration of Life Memorial Services will be held on his birthday, Friday, October 2, 2020, at Merle Hay Funeral Home, 4400 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, Iowa 50310 with visitation at 12:00 p.m. and service at 1:00 p.m.
