John Willie Arnett

JOHN WILLIE ARNETT, 93, of Melbourne, Florida, died Tuesday, April 11, 2006 in Florida. Visitation is scheduled 6 pm to 8 pm Thursday, April 20, 2006 at Paschal Funeral Home. Funeral service will be 10 am Friday, April 21, 2006 at the Paschal Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Prairie Point Cemetery. Mr. Arnett was born November 22, 1912 in Bazette, Texas to Ruben George Arnett and Hallie Ray Faughn. In his early years he constantly moved from place to place due to his father's work to support the family. He graduated from high school in Socorro, NM. He worked as a night auditor at the local hotel and later moved to BrownfIeld working as a ranch hand for William Randolph Hurst. He met and married his wife of 67 years, Loree Barton in 1936. Loree passed away in March of 2003. Willie was her sole caregiver during her long illness. Taking loving care of her, may they both be together now in heaven. They moved to Oregon where he was a team leader in a sawmill. Missing home, they moved back to Texas where he took a job at the Houston ship yards building war ships in 1940's. They settled in La Porte, Texas and after the war, owned and operated a Gulf Service Station there for 20 years. He was the oldest and proud member of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 450. As a member he operated and repaired heavy equipment. During this period he worked at NASA as a crane operator lifting the early space capsules into place for testing. He was a member of the Church of Christ in La Porte. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. Survived by daughters, Myrna Torok of Shreveport and Doris Reckner of Melbourne, FL; grandchildren, Patsy Griffin, Randy Torok, John Paxton Panning and Barbara Panning; great grandchildren, Sandy & Morgan Friffin cousin, Wayne Arnett of Bryan, Texas. Arrangements by Paschal Funeral Home, 120 SW Third St., Kerens, Texas 75144, 903-396-2371.