William Edward Arnold

1952 - 2025

William Edward Arnold

October 12, 1952 - November 24, 2024

William Edward Arnold was born October 12, 1952, in Madison, Wisconsin and died November 24, 2024, in Tucson, Arizona at the age of 72. Will to his friends, Bill to his family, was the youngest son of Charles and Ruth Arnold. Will grew up in Maple Bluff, a small suburb on the north side of Madison, Wisconsin back in a time when you could go out the door in the morning and come back for dinner and your parents only worried about who was feeding you at lunch. Will attended Lakewood School for grades 1-6 and met many friends who stayed with him throughout his life. He learned to swim off the Fuller's Woods pier where he did some sailing with his two older brothers and fishing with his friends. He also was an avid participant in building rafts from wood pallets, inner tubes, and sails made from old bed sheets, a major undertaking that could take a week during the summer.

Will attended Sherman Junior High School for grades 7-9 picking up more cherished friends along the way. During this time he attained (according to his recollection) "rock star status" as part of a band called the Moppets with Steve Cornelius, Brian Alexander, and Marc Crumpton. The band manager, Denis Hansen, became a good friend for the rest of Will's life, and even though the band disappeared, the music lived on. Will was playing one of his six guitars until his fingers no longer worked. During this time Will also learned to play golf which was a sport he enjoyed and was a natural at. He won several trophies at the local country club but never pursued the game competitively. He only played for fun.

Will attended East High School in Madison and graduated in 1970. He started college at the University of Arizona but transferred back to the University of Wisconsin for his sophomore year. He was proud having graduated from the UW Business School in 1974 and being fortunate enough to have several professors at the school who influenced him greatly in his future life. During summers and after graduation for several years he worked at MSI where he was involved in many projects including rebuilding the boilers at the UW Charter Street heating plant which he supervised and was particularly proud. While enjoying construction work and working with his hands, his real goal was to be involved in real estate.

Eventually, Will relocated to Boulder, Colorado for a short time and then moved to Oregon City, Oregon where he was a realtor for many years. In 2005 Will moved to Arizona to get out of the rain and pursue his dream of building and selling adobe homes. His year in Arizona as a college freshman instilled in Will a fascination for desert life which only grew when he was back in Arizona full time. Unfortunately, the financial crash of 2008 destroyed the real estate market in Arizona. This convinced Will to concentrate on building an adobe home from scratch with his own hands that he would use as a model for his future business. This project went on even when Will's health declined due to a ten year struggle with first one cancer, then another. Will succumbed to complications of prostate cancer after a severe falling accident in late September.

During college and for many years thereafter Will volunteered untold hours working for the Dane County Crisis Line, an activity he deeply believed in and supported. He also supported other charities with both time and money and was deeply attuned to the challenges that many people faced that life spared him. He will be remembered by his friends for his kind heart and positive outlook that he carried throughout his life.

For over thirty years Will met regularly with members of the Health Club, an informal group of like minded adventurers who came together once a year at locations all over the nation. The group would address major issues of the day and determine the best way forward for humanity consistent with good food, good wine, and good friends. Many Health Club members made a special effort to contact or come and see Will in his final days which he greatly appreciated.

Will was preceded in death by his parents, sister Ruthann, and brother Chuck. He is survived by brother John, sister in law Sue, and niece and nephew Kate and Chris. There will be a celebration of life on June 20, 2025, from 6-9 p.m. at Olbrick Gardens in Madison, Wisconsin. For information on the event contact John Arnold at 608-279-3492, Karen Haagensen at 608-444-4923, or Bob Waterman at 608-347-5852.