Francis J. Arnoldy

Francis J. Arnoldy, 93, of Lennox, SD, and formerly of Aberdeen, passed away Wednesday, January 21, 2015, at the Good Samaritan Society of Lennox.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Monday, January 26, 2015, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 409 2nd Avenue NE, Aberdeen with Father Tom Anderson, Celebrant.

Burial will take place at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Aberdeen, with military rites being conducted by Sidney L. Smith American Legion Post #24 of Aberdeen.

Visitation will be one hour before Mass at church on Monday.

Memorials are preferred to The Roncalli Foundation.

Francis J. Arnoldy was born January 16, 1922, to Peter and Mary (Ternes) Arnoldy at Rollingstone, MN. This is the area where he was raised, attended school, and graduated from Rollingstone High School. Following graduation, he began working in the Building Material Industry for his father in 1937.

Francis served in the United States Navy during World War II in the South Pacific at Pearl Harbor. During his service in the Navy, he completed Engineer school. Francis received his honorable discharge on May 31, 1946.

Francis married Mary Catherine Meyer at Winona, MN, on September 9, 1946. He remained in the Building Material Business with his father, after which he went to work for Steiner Lumber Company at Sauk Centre, MN. He then was employed in Lu Verne, IA, as Manager of Thompson Yards, then on to Bancroft, IA, and Yankton, SD, before settling in Aberdeen in 1960. At that time, the name was changed to United Building Centers. Francis was the manager of the Aberdeen store for 18 years before being promoted to District Manager of all the stores in North and South Dakota. After spending 50 years in the building material business, Francis retired in February of 1987.

In his younger years, Francis was an avid baseball player in Minnesota and Iowa. During this time, he was also very active in playing the saxophone in dance bands. Francis was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, The Knights of Columbus and Sidney L. Smith American Legion Post #24 of Aberdeen. He was also a former member of the Aberdeen Elks Lodge, The Sertoma Club and a member of the Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Francis served on the Board of Directors for The South Dakota Lumberman Association, Aberdeen Builders Exchange and Aberdeen Housing Authority, during which time the Homestead Apartments were built.

Surviving Francis are his five sons, Charles (Coleen) of Miles City, MT, Michael (Sonia) of Aberdeen, Jon (Jane) of Albertville, MN, Thomas (Peggy) of Sioux Falls and Robert (Tracy) of Houston, TX; three grandsons, David (Heidi) Arnoldy, Steven Arnoldy and Dan (Kristen) Arnoldy; two granddaughters, Deeya (Tyson Wilcox) Arnoldy and Breanna Arnoldy; three great-grandsons, Miles, Gunner, and Gordon Arnoldy; two step granddaughters, Shondee Ellison and Donya (Nathan) Heth; one sister, Catherine Rivers of Rochester, MN.

Francis was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 61 years, Mary; two sisters, Beatrice Arnoldy and Veronica Rivers; two brothers, Raymond and Bernard; one granddaughter, Alisha Arnoldy.