Arnold Andrew Fedie

Arnold Andrew Fedie, 87, passed away on October 23, 2019, at his home in Palm Coast, Florida. Arnold was born on November 11, 1931 to Henry and Annabel Fedie on the family farm in rural Durand, WI. The third child of 13, Arnold was extremely proud of how he was raised during the very difficult Great Depression years. The family used an outdoor toilet and did not have electricity until Arnold was 11 years old. At age 13, he left the home to work at nearby farms, while still returning to help his father and always checking in with his mother on Sundays. At age 17, Arnold volunteered in the army and was stationed in Europe because he could speak Austrian. He was honorably discharged in 1951, at the time earning $62 a month.
On November 11, 1954, Arnold married Jean Von Haden, eventually raising 9 children together. He farmed and did other jobs on the side. At one point he owned 6 trucks to haul grain. In 1964, they sold the farm and moved to Rockford, Illinois, where Arnold worked for Lorden’s Distribution, overseeing 25 employees delivering beer and spirits. Arnold then worked for Rockford Blacktop but did not like the winter layoffs because of his strong work ethic, so he took a job hauling new cars for Cassens Transport Co. He logged countless miles delivering cars, taking pride in his work. It was a hard but fulfilling career. Arnold retired in 1995 and has had a home in Florida since 1987.
Arnold married Gloria Martin on December 22, 1997, and they have resided at their Palm Coast, Florida home that they built together since 2005. Arnold was an avid golfer, regularly scoring 100 as recently as July, 2019. His lack of extended formal education belied his intelligence. He embraced technology, and he was ahead of the curve compared to his peers and people much younger than him. He was a hands-on kind of guy, installing a water heater at age 87, and he talked about doing some work on the roof a month before he passed away. Arnold was generous and helped countless people in his lifetime.
Words cannot express the sorrow of his passing, nor can they convey how deeply he’ll be missed. Arnold recently stated, “What I wouldn’t give to take my mother and father out to dinner.” So hopefully, his loved ones can take solace in the fact that now he can have dinner with his beloved mother Annabel, father Henry, and his older brother Tony.
Arnold is survived by his wife, Gloria, children, Shelly (Samuel) Mandello, Janice Buelow, Wanda (John) Frew, Maria (Randall) Nielsen, Tammy (Gary) Patnou, Kris (Peggy) Fedie, Paul Fedie, Neal (Taina) Fedie, Julianna (Bob) Lieb, stepchildren Marilou (Roger) Laigo, Joef Bernales, Gladys (James) Propes, Glorilie (Floridel) Valera, sisters Verena Sapp, Doris Drier, Rosemarie Richardson, Helen Feeney, LaVina (Gordy) Gifford, Donna Heit, and Annette (Dan) Schwab; sister-in-law Arlene Fedie; brothers Francis (Peggy) Fedie, Daniel (Sue) Fedie, Henry (Brenda) Fedie, and Robert (Audrey) Fedie; first wife, Jean Fedie; many grandchildren and great grandchildren; special cousins, Jack and Carole Komro.
Arnold is preceded in death by his parents Henry and Annabel Fedie, brother, Tony, son-in-law, Steve Buelow, sister -in- law, Marla Fedie, brothers- in-law, Francis Nehl, Ron Sapp, Ron Drier, Dean Richardson, Jim Feeney, and Don Heit.
A Mass of Christian Burial celebrating Arnold’s life was held in Palm Coast, Florida at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church on Thursday, October 31, 2019. Visitation was held one hour before mass and from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. the prior evening at Clymer Funeral Home & Cremations, who was entrusted by the family with the arrangements.
To celebrate Arnold’s life in his cherished home church, a memorial mass will be held at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Lima at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 9, 2019.