Malven Arnum

Malven Arnum, 78, beloved husband of 50 years, father, brother, grandfather, uncle, and cousin passed away peacefully on Monday night at his home after a valiant battle with cancer. A former long-time resident of Sudbury, Massachusetts, Mr. Arnum moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2006 to be close to his daughter and three grandsons. Mr. Arnum was predeceased by his parents, Magnhild and Monrad Arnum of Brooklyn, NY, a brother Magnus, and sister Swanhild. He is survived by his wife Martha, children Karen, Anita, and Michael, grandsons Ryan, Nicholas, and Jake, sisters Leny, Dagny, and Elyn, sister-in-law Evelyn, brothers-in-law Dennis and William, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Mr. Arnum was the eldest of six children, the first three born on a small island on the west coast of Norway, and the younger three born in the United States. He immigrated to the United States with his family at the age of 15 in 1948. The family made their home in Brooklyn, New York; Mr. Arnum earned a degree in electrical engineering at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. In 1961 he married his sweetheart Martha J. Thompson, also of Norwegian heritage. When he secured a job with the Raytheon Corporation, they made their first home in North Plainfield, New Jersey and then Woburn, Massachusetts before finally settling in Sudbury, Massachusetts, an idyllic suburb west of Boston. He later earned two masters degrees from Northeastern University in electrical engineering and engineering management. Mr. Arnum was a member of Sudbury United Methodist Church before transferring to Millbrook United Methodist Church in Raleigh. He was an avid stamp collector, a keen student and tutor of advanced mathematics, competitive bridge player, as well as a gardener and carpenter. His primary interest, however, was his strong ties to his native land of Norway, where he returned to his family home to visit friends and relatives as often as he could. He was an active member of Sons of Norway, Norumbega Lodge #3-506, which he once served as President and other positions, including the chief food buyer for the Lodge's annual Scandinavian Fair. A memorial service will be held at 11am, Saturday, March 24th at Millbrook United Methodist Church in Raleigh. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to either: The Merkel Cell Carcinoma Fund, Attn: Paul Nghiem, MD, PhD, University of Washington, Dermatology, 815 Mercer St., Brotman Building - Room 242, Box 358050, Seattle, WA 98109, Or online at: https://secure.gifts.washington.edu/uw_medicine/gift.asp?source_typ=2&source=EF or Millbrook United Methodist ChurchMemorial Fund, 1712 E Millbrook Rd, Raleigh, NC 27609. Share you condolences at www.brownwynne.com.