John Arnold

John E. Arnold, 79,

Topeka, Kansas, passed

away unexpectedly on

October 4, 2019.

John was born on Janu-

ary 4, 1940, in Atchison,

Kansas to George and Iva

“Audrey” Bailey Arnold.

A graduate of Atchison

High School, he enjoyed

performing in the band,

playing basketball, and

running track. High

school classmates remain

dear friends today.

John started a life of

service by answering the

call from JFK, joining the

Peace Corps and serving

in the Philippines from

1962-1964. That experi-

ence shaped his life, but

most importantly, led to

him meeting his wife

Kaye. They were married

in 1965. Kaye preceded

him in death in 2007

John was a passionate

Jayhawk, graduating from

KU with a bachelor’s in li-

beral arts in 1962 and a

master’s degree in public

administration in 1965.

During John’s service in

local government, he was

recognized as a pioneer

and innovator. His career

took him around the

country, from Atchison, to

Texarkana, Texas, Titus-

ville, Florida, and Little

Rock, Arkansas. John

served as City Manager in

Minot, North Dakota from

1972-1977, Fort Collins,

Colorado from 1977-1985,

and Eureka, California

from 1992-1996. He was

the first Executive Direc-

tor of the E-470 Authority

that built the E-470 high-

way in Denver. John

served as Chief Adminis-

trative Officer in Topeka

from 1998 until retire-

ment in 2002.

John was proud of his

legacy in the places he

lived, but also treasured

the connections he made

working together with

Mayors and City Council-

members, city staff, col-

leagues, and community

members. He kept in

touch with people regu-

larly, sometimes with an

emailed article, news clip-

ping, or his own commen

tary.

During retirement, John

focused on his passions:

becoming a published au-

thor, playing golf, enjoy-

ing food and drink with

friends, traveling often to

visit family, and following

Kansas basketball.

As a drummer, guitar-

ist, and improvisational

pianist, John instilled a

love of music in his fami-

ly. He also enjoyed sports

whether shooting baskets

or throwing a football

with his sons, playing a

game of golf whenever he

could, watching the Sun-

day football game, or sail-

ing on his boat, the

Jayhawk. John and Kaye

also loved to dance, a

talent that unfortunately

skipped a generation.

John is survived by: his

sons, Jay (Mary Beth) and

L.T.; granddaughters, Au-

drey, Carmen, and Scar-

lett; dear friend and com-

panion, Judy Morris. He

will be dearly missed by

cousins, nieces, in-laws,

and friends here and

around the country.

Memorial service will

be 4 p.m. Saturday, No-

vember 9, 2019, at Kevin

Brennan Family Funeral

Home, 2801 SW Urish

Road, Topeka KS 66614,

with visitation half an

hour prior.

In lieu of flowers,

memorial contributions

may be made to the chari-

ty of donor’s choice, sent

in care of the funeral

home.

Condolences may be

sent online to

www.kevinbrennan

family.com.