Robert Mack Arnold

Robert Mack Arnold of Kyle, TX passed away on October 3, 2021. Mack was born September 7, 1939, in Texarkana, TX to William Perry Arnold and Edna May McPeters. After his father passed away when Mack was at the tender age of 12, his older brother Bill Arnold and wife Frances helped to raise him, forging an extremely close bond between them that would last a lifetime. Mack's siblings were Susie, William (Bill) and Patsy (Pat), who have all pre-deceased him.

Mack did not graduate from high school but decided to enlist in the Air Force when he was 18. He went on to serve in the Air Force as a mechanical engineer for 4 years. He would later complete his schooling through enrolling in correspondence college courses and achieving his degree. Mack was truly a self-made man and went on to great career achievements in his chosen profession of engineering.

Mack's mother, Edna, had moved them to Dallas from Texarkana after his father had taken ill. At the age of 16, Mack was introduced to Joan Skinner through a date arranged by their mothers, who had struck up a friendship after they met at a musical event. The year was 1955 and the place was Fort Worth, Texas. Mack and Joan were married on December 27, 1957, while Dad was serving in the Air Force at Fairchild AFB in Spokane, WA. They went on to have three daughters: Robin, Rhonda and Randi, known to family as "the three R's."

Once his stint in the Air Force was completed, Mack worked on the flight line with Chrysler in New Orleans, LA, exposing him to the excitement of working in the U.S. Space Program. From Chrysler, Mack began a 6-year career with North American Rockwell (later to be known as Rockwell International Corporation) as a Test Engineer for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space missions; specifically working on the second rocket booster on the Apollo missions. This career move relocated them to Pearl River, LA where Mack would commute to the test site in Pascagoula, MS where the booster rockets were tested. Mack would always say later in life that this job was by far his most favorite and memorable.

When suddenly the Space Program was halted in 1970, Mack found himself moving his family to Tripoli, Libya, North Africa where he worked in the Sahara Desert on the oil pipeline for Oasis Oil Company as an Instrumentation Engineer. It was August 1971 when this adventure began for the Arnold family, and it created a very close-knit bond between them as they learned the ways of living overseas and acquiring a desire to travel and see as much of the world as they could. Many hilarious adventures would occur from this overseas experience that the family would enjoy telling over and over again to the amusement of their relatives.

After Mack moved his family to San Antonio, TX in 1979, he continued to work for Oasis Oil, commuting back and forth internationally in six-week periods, until the end of 1985. Mack continued his engineering career with Besco in San Antonio before relocating to Houston, TX to accept a job as an Engineer with Solar Turbines (a subsidiary of Caterpillar). The year was 1991 and he would remain with Solar Turbines until his retirement on September 30, 2010. Mack and Joan both retired on that day and eventually moved from Houston to Kyle, TX for a quieter way of life.

Mack was not only a self-made man and international traveler; he also was awarded a patent in design for his invention of a tortilla-making machine after he had moved back to Texas.
In addition to his analytical engineering side, Mack had many hobbies and interests. He had a great fondness for hunting, fishing, and range shooting and, as his daughters married and had their families, he passed along those interests to his grandchildren and thoroughly enjoyed those hobbies with his sons-in-law. Mack likewise appreciated nature - the beaches and mountains, forests, and trails - and instilled a love of that to his family, along with his passion for animals.

Also, Mack was a classic car buff and enjoyed John Wayne westerns and 007 movies. Another big hobby for him was music. He used to have a reel-to-reel tape set-up designed for his stereo where he would keep the music playing continuously - Beatles to the Beach Boys, Janis Joplin to Johnny Cash, Rolling Stones to Roy Orbison.

But apart from all the different facets of his life, Mack's truest love of all was his family. He was happiest with family gathered around and took his role as patriarch to heart.

Mack is survived by his wife of 64 years, Joan Laverne Skinner Arnold, daughters Robin Massey, Rhonda Tidwell and Randi Mumma, their husbands Herman, Rob and Andy, respectively, grandchildren Rob Harwood, Jaclyn Bollenberg, Sean and Dylan Mumma, and great-grandchildren Cheyenne and Tyler Mumma. Mack is also survived by many nephews and nieces who he cherished.

The family would like to express their most heartfelt thanks and gratitude to Dr. Brimberry, Kevin, Kathy, George, Patty, and Julian from Ranier for their care and compassion in caring for their husband/dad.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to either of the following charities:

Vascular Dementia Society of America; St. Jude's Hospital; or a Veteran Hospital of your choice.