Arnold G. (Arny) Connor

Arnold G. (Arny) Connor

Arnold Gaylord Connor passed away om Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017.
He was born in Kenosha, Wis., on May 11, 1926, to Mary Elizabeth (Adams) Connor and Rupert Benjamin Connor. He was raised in Sleepy Eye, Minn., by his grandmother, Rena Adams. He enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and served in the Pacific until 1946. He married his high school sweetheart of five years, Virginia Mae Ingraham, on Sept. 18, 1948.
Arnold graduated with a degree in mining engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1951, when they moved to Hibbing. He worked at Hanna Mining for 12 years, then joined Meriden Engineering (now Superior Minerals) and retired in 1991.
Arnold was active in many things. He played trombone in the Keewatin City Band, was a member of the Hibbing Bocce Club, loved bowling, racquetball and curling. He was honored in 2006 for participating in all 50 years of the Last Chance Bonspiel. He also achieved a perfect 8-end game in curling in 1995 in the Chisholm Senior Spiel, which is rarer than a 300 game in bowling.
Arnold belonged to The American Legion, Masons and was past president of the Aad Range Shrine. He drove in the Shrine Motor Patrol for many years.
In retirement, Arnold practiced his hobby as a locksmith and helped many people with their locks. He and Virginia loved to travel. They visited Canada many times, a lot of the western USA, especially enjoying Laughlin, Nev., and Las Vegas. Their overseas trips included Great Britain, most of Europe, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.
Arnold is survived by his wife of 69 years, Virginia Connor; son, Kevin (Susan) Connor of Duluth; daughter, Shaun (Eric) Kuffel; and beloved granddaughter, Becca Kuffel of Maple Grove, Minn.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Rupert Connor; stepmother, Ida Connor; half-brother, Richard Connor; and half-sister, Gail Connor.