William Arendsen

Memorial service for William Arendsen, will be 10:00 am, Thursday, September 7, 2006 at Stevenson-Wilson Funeral Home in Gillette with Pastor Scott Firminhac of the Trinity Lutheran Church officiating. Stevenson-Wilson Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.Mr. Arendsen., age 91, of Gillette, Wyoming died on Monday, September 4, 2006 at his home of natural causes.William Calvin Arendsen Jr. was born on December 28, 1914 in Holland, Michigan the son of William Calvin Sr. and Amelia (Agnor) Arendsen. He was raised and educated in Michigan. After dropping out of school,William held a variety of jobs working as a cowboy and at a billboard paint shop, cabinet shop, pea cannery and steel foundry. He married Dorothy V. (Carey) Boughner in Detroit on May 8, 1948 after asking her in his no nonsense way ?Hey, ya wanna get hitched?? The couple made their home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Both he and his wife worked for auto corporations their entire careers, William as a pattern maker for Pontiac Motors. They raised two children Rodney Calvin Arendsen and Sandra Ann Arendsen. William was very active in his children?s schooling, helping with their home work each night as well as taking much time to create several of their special project assignments. He would take Sandy and her friends to watch Rodney?s football games and would cheer Rod on from the sidelines. After William?s retirement in 1982 the couple moved to Gillette to be closer to his daughter and grandson, Anthony and to work part time as a ranch hand for Gilbert Oedekoven. In 1988 they moved to Arizona to enjoy the warmer weather, cultivate his love of gardening and to continue his woodworking hobby. His wife of fifty-two years died in Arizona in 2000. William remained there on his own for another 2 years before returning to Wyoming to live with his daughter. After returning to Wyoming, William pursued a dream of earning his high school diploma. He spent in excess of 250 hours working with his tutor Norm Grams towards that goal and was awarded and Honorary Associate Degree from the Gillette College, based on that work in July 2006. Some of his fondest memories were of being a cowboy in Beeville, Texas, fishing through out Michigan with his brothers, fishing and camping in the Big Horns of Wyoming and his final fishing trip to Alaska with his son in July of 2005.He is survived by his son, Rodney Arendsen and his wife Gail of Freeport, New York; daughter, Sandra Arendsen of Gillette, Wyoming and grandsons: Anthony Hampe of Hope Mills, North Carolina, Benjamin Arendsen and 1 granddaughter Elizabeth Arendsen both of Oceanside, New York and 8 great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, and brothers: Harold, John, Norman and Richard and his sister, Donna Breyer.In lieu of flowers a scholarship memorial has been set up in William?s name for the adult education department of the Gillette College. Condolences may be sent in care of Stevenson-Wilson Funeral Home 210 W. 5th Street, Gillette, Wyoming 82716 or via the internet at www.stevensonwilson.com.