Arnold "Arnie" Stapnes

Arnie Stapnes passed away on July 18, 2019 surrounded by his family. He was born December 8, 1930 in Mt. Vernon, Washington, to Pete and Alice Stapnes. Arnie grew up in the Edison area and worked for many family farms in the Skagit Valley. He graduated from Burlington High School and joined the U.S. Air Force soon after, reaching the rank of staff sergeant in the Korean War. He was discharged in 1952; he was stationed in Tennessee and Alaska. Arnold married Jessica Mosses in 1954, and together they had two children, Nancy and Arnie, before separating. In May 1969, he married Peggy Ellis and adopted her two daughters, Kim and Kit. Arnie started work at Boeing as an inspector. He was selected, with three others, to learn about this new field called computers. He was on the ground floor of creating Boeing Computer Services, becoming a lead computer analyst and worked there from 1956 - 1991. Upon retiring, he and Peggy became snowbirds and made their winter home in the warmth of Mesa, Arizona. They continued traveling between Washington and Arizona for 18 years. In 1995, Arnie and Peggy moved to Anacortes. Arnie volunteered many years at the Anacortes Kiwanis thrift store and helped in a variety of activities at their home in Arizona. They enjoyed traveling the western USA in their trailer. Arnie was a longtime Husky football ticket holder, and a weekday regular on the golf course. In 2014, Arnold was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and moved to Everett to be closer to his family. As his body and mind endured the progression of this disease, Arnie kept up his spirits and remained as physically active as he could. Arnie was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy in 2012, after 43 years of marriage. He leaves behind his children, Nancy Craig, Arnie (Karen) Stapnes, Kim (Jim) Isom and Kit (Eric) Russell, 9 grandchildren and 2 great granddaughters, sisters, Betty (Darrell) Teeter, Andrea (Scott) Thomas, and many nieces and nephews. A memorial for Arnold's life will be held at 1:00 pm on Thursday, August 1, 2019 at Solie Funeral Home in Everett. Reception afterwards at Arnie's favorite family gathering spot - Alfy's Pizza. Arnie received excellent care during his last days through Providence Hospice. Donations can be made in his memory to Providence Hospice Foundation, 2731 Wetmore Ave, Suite 500, Everett, WA 98201.