ISHPEMING, Arnold William Kippola, 88, of Ishpeming passed away on Wednesday September 16, 2009 at Eastwood Nursing Center in Negaunee, Mi.


He was born on June 1, 1921 to Alma and William Kippola in
Ishpeming, Mi. After his father's early death from a mining accident, the family moved to the Black River location northeast of Republic, Mi to live near Alma's parents. He attended the school in Black River location, and Republic, and later served in the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps, in 1938-9 helping build Wells State Park in the southern U.P. and later moved to the Detroit city area in late 1939 where he worked for the Packard Motor Car Company, before serving in the U S Army Air Corps Troop Carrier Command 30th Squadron during WW2 from 1942-5. He and Anja (Nurmi) met in Detroit and married on October 13, 1945.

After the war, he worked at the House of Chairs, drove a Detroit city DSR bus, then worked at Burroughs Corp., during which he moved the family to Plymouth, Mi. in 1957. He then took a job with Ford Motor Company for 10 years. In 1970 the family moved to Ishpeming, where he worked at K. I. Sawyer AFB, and then worked for Cleveland –Cliffs at the Republic and Tilden mines, until retiring in 1987.

He was an avid outdoorsman, but Arnold's unique talent was his proclivity to doing favors for people, especially after retirement. Whether it was finding a carpet for your entranceway or truck, fixing your leaky faucet, or delivering produce on a daily basis to help feed your farm animals, he took it to heart. Also a musician, he learned to play bones and knives/spoons in the Finnish tradition at an early age, and was not only the best at it, was recorded on several album projects, taught others to play, and kept the family entertained with it especially at holiday time.


He is survived by his two sons, Gerald (Geraldine) of Ishpeming, and James (Janice) of Negaunee, grandsons Aaron, and James, granddaughters Megan (Christopher) Penney and Leah (Alex Budnick) Kippola, his brother Donald (Margaret) of Plymouth, Mi, and his sister Ruth (Melvin) Hjelt of Negaunee, an aunt, Hilda Prusi of Cloquet, Mn., as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins. He is a member of the Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church of Negaunee, and is also survived by many brothers and sisters in faith.

Besides his parents, he is preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Anja, brothers George (Marie), and Harold (Elaine) of the Detroit area.


Visitation will be Sun Sep 20, from 5-7pm at the Independent Apostolic Lutheran Church in Negaunee on Co Rd 492 east of the Negaunee cemetery, with funeral at 7pm, followed by a gathering afterward. Internment will be Mon Sep 21, at 11am at the Ishpeming cemetery.