Arthur N. Learned

1929 - 2019

Learned, Arthur N.
Arthur Norton Learned, age 90, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2019 in Winston-Salem. He moved to Winston-Salem 3 years ago from Blairsville, GA to live closer to his son Fred and his wife Teri. Arthur Norton Learned was born on January 20, 1929, in Meriden, Connecticut, the son of Merritt Erwin Learned and Mary Faltanavic. During his life, he loved playing the organ for the churches he attended and listening to classical music. He also loved to travel, would pack up his children into the family station wagon, hitch up the travel trailer and drive to see historic forts and battlefields, engineering marvels such as bridges, and natural wonders of the eastern USA and Canada, instilling in his children respect and admiration for history, engineering and the natural world.
In June 1945, he was awarded the Washington & Franklin Medal for excellence in the study of history by the Massachusetts Society, Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). In 1946, he was among a graduating class of 18 from Sutton (MA) High School, where he was a member of its cross country, basketball and baseball teams. He also became a Sea Scout and dreamt of one day joining the US Navy.
Arthur was only 17 years old when he was awarded a scholarship to attend Yale University and graduated Class of 1950, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. While attending Yale, he also was a baseball pitcher, only a couple of years after President Geo. H. W. Bush also played baseball there. After graduation, Arthur was hired as a construction inspector for the NY, NH & H Railroad. A month later, the Korean War broke out and he attempted to enlist in the US Navy. However, while awaiting a commission as a Navy Officer, he received his draft notice to report for duty in the US Army. He was sent overseas and was stationed 18 months in Augsburg, Germany, served in Headquarters Company, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division. While serving, he met Helene Marguerite Vomstein whom he married on January 2, 1953 in Basel, Switzerland.
Following his discharge from the Army, Arthur returned to his job as a construction inspector for the NY, NH & H Railroad. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as an Inspector for Newman E. Argraves & Assoc. of New Haven, CT, and the following year the firm was bought, and its name was changed to P.W. Genovese & Assoc., for whom he worked for the next 25 years as Director of Engineering. During that time, he became the Town Engineer of Avon, Derby, East Haven, North Haven, and Stonington, CT.
Arthur and Helene settled in New Haven, Connecticut, where their five children would be born. In 1957, they moved their growing family to North Branford. While living there, he became church organist at Zion Episcopal Church. Upon Helene's death from breast cancer in 1967, he became a widower with five young children. In 1968, he married Shirley Davenport at Zion Episcopal Church, she stood by his side for the next 47 years. However, she would also predecease him when she passed away on Dec 15, 2015.
In 1978, he and Shirley relocated to Sarasota, FL, where he became Director of Utilities for Sarasota County. In 1980, he set out on his own and incorporated his own consulting engineering practice: Learned Engineering and Development Company, Inc.
In 1984, he and Shirley relocated to the cooler climate and mountain vistas of Blairsville, GA where he quickly became a faithful Atlanta Braves baseball fan, which was not a shared passion with his wife. While there, he designed and developed Saddle Ridge, a small neighborhood of log homes. In 2000, Arthur became a Charter Member of Blue Ridge Mountains Chapter of the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution). He served as its Chapter President, Color Guard Commander and 10-year Chairman of its Award-winning Poster Contest. He was a very proud and active member of Georgia SAR Color Guard, having attended many commemorative events throughout the southeast.
Throughout his professional career, Arthur was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and was licensed to practice in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. While living in Venice, FL he joined Rotary International and would also help charter a new chapter in Blairsville, Georgia. He was also a proud member of the American Legion Post 55 of Winston-Salem.
Arthur was predeceased by his parents Merritt and Mary (Faltanavic) Learned and sister, Lt. Col. Grace Learned (US Army Nurse Corps) and his two wives Helene Vomstein and Shirley Davenport.
He leaves behind his five children: son Alan (wife Valerie) of Hudson, FL; son Fred (wife Teri) of Winston-Salem, NC; daughter Carol (husband David Soubly) of Plymouth, MI; daughter Susan of Gloucester, MA; and son Michael (wife Denise) of Chester, CT and nine grandchildren: Katie (husband Andy) Donaldson of Beverly, MA and her brother Mike Sim of Milton, NH; LT. Andrew Learned (US Navy Reserves) of Tampa, FL and his sister Kelly Learned of Xiamen, China and Durham, NC; Kevin Soubly of Amsterdam; Joseph Learned of Hudson, FL; and Elizabeth (husband Steve) Rowen of NYC and her siblings Alex & Carolyn Learned of Chester, CT and three great-granddaughters, Abigail & Sadie Donaldson and Charlotte Rowan.
A ceremony commemorating his life will be held at 11 a.m. on June 1st when he will be interred with his two wives in the historic Old North Guilford Cemetery, North Guilford, CT. Memorial donations may be made to Zion Episcopal Church of North Branford, CT or the St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Blue Ridge, Georgia.
Online condolences may be made at www.salemfh.com