Jean Cale Arthur

1924 - 2018

The Reverend Doctor Jean Louise Cale Arthur passed away peacefully on September 16, 2018 at the age of 94. She is survived by her two children, Pamela Arthur Stuart MD, and Dion Arthur MD, her two grandchildren Benjamin Stuart MD and Daniel Stuart, son-in-law Kevin Stuart MD, sister Patricia Cale Sink, and her many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, the Reverend Doctor Edwin Arthur, and her older sibling, Donald Cale, as well as her parents, Norman and Helen Cale.

Jean Arthur felt called to the ministry of the Church at an early age. She wanted to provide service to her community’s needs for both physical and spiritual healing. From a young age, she was an exceptionally gifted and bright student. She was also musically talented and not only played the piano and cello, but also had a wonderful singing voice; all of which served her well throughout her career in the Church.

Dr. Jean Arthur held multiple academic degrees, including her Doctorate in Ministry, and was a Registered Nurse (RN) and a United Methodist Minister. She served in India as a Methodist missionary from 1949 through 1959, taking time off only to get her Master’s Degree in New York City, and additional certifications at London University in Tropical Medicine, before returning to India. While in India, she was the Director of Nursing at the Clara Swain Hospital in Bareilly for two years, and then became the District Evangelist appointed by the Methodist Church in Bijnor and later in Moradabad.

It was in India that Jean met and married her husband, the Reverend Edwin Arthur. After marrying in 1959, the two moved back from India to the US together. While Jean had their two children, Edwin served as a United Methodist Minister in Pennsylvania and New York.

In 1964, Edwin was in a serious car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and unable to walk for the remainder of his life. At that point, Jean accepted a position in East Branch, NY where she served as the pastor for three churches in the area. In 1969, Jean and her family moved to Washington DC, while she completed her doctorate degree at the Wesley Theological Seminary, becoming the first woman to be awarded a Doctorate in Ministry ( D.Min). The family then moved to Derby, CT, where Dr. Arthur served as minister for the Derby United Methodist Church (UMC) from 1971-79. During her work there, she was responsible for an ecumenical service bringing thousands of people from all denominations to join together in a service held at the Derby UMC with Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, and was also featured in the National Parade Magazine’s Article “Do Women make better Ministers?”.

In 1979, Drs. Arthur moved to Lake Mahopac, NY where Jean was the minister at the Lake Mahopac UMC until she and her husband retired and moved to North Carolina in 1999.

While living in Pinehurst, Dr. Arthur was a volunteer Chaplain at a local Nursing Home. When her husband Edwin passed away suddenly in 2003, she moved in with her son Dion Arthur, MD where she lived until she passed away at peacefully on September 16, 2018 at the age of 94. A private memorial service will be held for her family and friends.