Pastor Arnold N. White, 87
Pastor Arnold N. White, 87, passed away at his home in Hayden on March 18, 2013. For several years he had struggled with a type of dementia that ravaged his brilliant mind and devastated his body. Yet, despite his dementia, his love for the word of God was so powerful that right up to the last week of his life, he could finish a Bible verse as his wife shared them with him.
Arnold was born in Parkside, Sask., Canada, Nov. 19, 1925. When he was a young boy, his mother gave her heart to the Lord and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She faithfully witnessed to her children and all six sons and her only daughter eventually followed her loving example. When the family moved to Victoria, B.C., Arnold, at the age of 17, was baptized and began to make plans to become a minister of the gospel.
After ministerial training, Arnold began pastoring on the island of Newfoundland and from there he pastored several churches across Canada. While in Calgary, Alberta, he learned to fly and became a proficient pilot. In 1981, he was asked to serve in Washington state pastoring the Mt. Vernon church and the San Juan Islands. He bought a piper Tomahawk and flew back and forth among the islands lovingly caring for his parishioners and any others who needed his help. When he retired in California, he served as chaplain for the Civil Air Patrol for 10 years. In 2004, he and his wife moved to Hayden to be near their youngest son.
Arnold's hobby was flower gardening, especially daffodils and tulips. Every spring no matter where he lived, his yard was a display of these beauties. He enjoyed sharing them with others.
Arnold leaves to mourn, his loving wife, Mildred, of 62 years; three sons, Terry of Denver, Colo., Robert of Napa, Calif., and Richard of Hayden; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service in his honor will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, 2013, at the Hayden Lake Adventist Church. Please visit Arnold’s online memorial and sign his guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.