Arnold Guttorm Werner

Arnold Guttorm Werner

Arnold Guttorm Werner was born May 29, 1924, in the family home, Tacoma, WA and died December 23, 2015, Kent, WA, age 91. He lived in Kent for 50 years.

Arne met his future wife, Carol June Bower, during the summer of 1943, while at USNTSch at the Packard Motor Car Co., in Detroit. They married September 2, 1950 in Detroit. Carol predeceased him on August 19, 2012.

Arne had a passion for philately, was a master fisherman, and loved the prairie country of Eastern Washington and Montana. He celebrated his Norwegian heritage and fostered ongoing friendships between his Scandinavian and American family. He was proud of his service in the Navy and that his offspring chose to continue his Navy service tradition.

He worked for the Boeing Company, Seattle; partnered with three colleagues to create United Management Consultants, Seattle; worked for EG&G, Las Vegas; and is best remembered as a Continuation High School teacher in the Federal Way School District.

His parents Johan and Kari, who were both born in Norway, immigrated to the US in the early 1920’s. In 1930 his parents unsuccessfully attempted to immigrate back to Norway, only to return to Tacoma after a year.

Arne lived in the Hilltop area of Tacoma until the middle of high school, when the family moved to Bremerton. He attended Lincoln HS in Tacoma, then Bremerton HS, before enlisting in the Navy, April 1, 1943. Navy boot camp provided the final PE credit he needed to graduate from HS. He was discharged from the Navy, March 20, 1946, MoMM2; having served in the Pacific, primarily New Guinea.

After the Navy he graduated from Washington State University in Pullman, WA, where he was a founding member of Kappa Bulla. He continued with graduate studies in Social Work at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. Arne returned to school in 1969 to get his teaching certificate from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Arne formed life-long friendships – was caring, principled, and disciplined – and passed those traits on to his children. He deeply loved his family – including those that adopted him as a surrogate father/grandfather. He fully embraced his extended-family at Farrington Court Senior Living Center, where he lived for 8 years.

Arne learned how to use social media after Carol died, which opened a whole world of intimacy with even the youngest of his great-grandchildren. He was known by his grandchildren as “Bestefar” – which is the Norwegian word for “Grandfather”.

He is survived by his four children (John, Karl, Karen, Eric), ten grandchildren, and fifteen great grandchildren.

We all miss him greatly.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Farrington Court Senior Living Center, 516 Kenosia Ave., Kent, WA 98030; 253-852-2737.

Commitment Ceremony, 9 AM, Mon, Jan 18, 2016, at Tahoma National Cemetery, 18600 SE 240th St, Kent, WA 98042; Interment arrangements by Marlatt Funeral Home, Kent.