Chester Arnold

Chet was born March 23, 1929 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the son of Patricia (Opper) and Joseph Vola. He was later adopted by his mother’s second husband, Fred Arnold. Chet began working at the age of ten with a newspaper route and this is where his strong work ethic began. He progressed to a soda fountain maker of ice cream treats, assembly line camera worker and soft drink developer.

He served his country in Korea during the Korean Conflict as a member of the quartermaster corps. Because of his service he was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill and attend college, earning a degree in business from Bowling Green State University. At BG, Chet was a fraternity member and worked as a dorm counselor. After graduation in 1957, Chet took a position for a few years as a sales representative for Sunbeam and then returned to Bowling Green to pursue a master’s degree in counseling. While at BG he worked in the career planning and placement office, the beginning of his career helping people find jobs.

Chet’s first job after BG was at Occidental College (Los Angeles) where he set up their first placement office – one that received national recognition for excellence. After his years at Occidental, Chet was awarded a fellowship to Indiana University where he earned a doctorate in counseling. It was during his three years at IU that Chet met Jo Lombardo whom he married in 1974. Chet continued his career at the University of Tampa and then went on to Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. When Chet retired from WMU he spent the next 10 years working as an outplacement counselor.

Chet and Jo loved living in Kalamazoo and took advantage of the cultural life of the city: the symphony and other musical groups, several theaters, and of course all the offering of WMU’s theater and music departments. Chet was a member of First United Methodist Church where he served as a Stephen Minister and Stephen Minister trainer. He later became an active member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Chet and Jo relocated to the Stratford Community in Carmel, Indiana in 2020 to be closer to family.

Chet enjoyed outdoor activities and he and Jo camped and canoed in many of Michigan’s state parks as well as in Canada and Minnesota. They also enjoyed travel abroad to Italy, England, Scotland and Sicily. Both Chet and Jo were enthusiastic travelers and participated in several Road Scholar trips in the U.S. and Canada along with train trips across the USA.

Chet was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Arnold, his sister, Judy Arnold, and his parents. He is survived by one sister, Linda Liberman and her husband Paul, his sister-in-law Fran Kraus and her husband Dr. John Kraus, his brother-in-law Dr. Thomas Lombardo, Jr. and his wife, Donna. He is also survived by a nephew, John G. Kraus and six nieces, Emily Longo, Julie Hideg, Sarah Lombardo, Lynn Ducat, Laura Yusick, and Lisa Meindel and their spouses and twelve great nieces and nephews.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to the Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, 901 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001 or the Western Michigan University Foundation, 1903 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008-5403.