Walter Edward Arnold Jr.

Walter Edward Arnold Jr. of Jamaica Plain, died Sunday, July 30, 2023. He was 86. Known among family and friends as Ned, he grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, the son of Walter and Rosamond (né Kane) Arnold, with his older siblings, Ann and Billy.

Ned graduated from Harvard in 1958, majoring in philosophy. After college he moved to New York City and began working as a writer and editor. In 1965 he married Lois Hall Barber, of Wellesley Hills. Their only child, Andrew, was born in 1970. After separating from Lois in 1980 he returned to the Boston area where he worked, unsurprisingly, in businesses associated with books, classical music and fine foods. 

Ned shaped his life by a pursuit of beauty and a dedication to acts of love. Anyone who knew him would attest to his enthusiasms and how well he shared them, most particularly in the realms of literature, history, music, critical thinking, art and good food. Fascinated by the beauty of the natural world, he was a life-long birder, recording his observations, and rarely without binoculars.

His dedication to beauty and love frequently took the form of generously giving gifts, where his intuitions and largely self-taught taste always impressed others. Ned was also an amateur magician who delighted his friends and family from his childhood to his last days. He even co-authored a book, with his wife Lois, The Great Science Magic Show (Franklin Watts, 1979).

His acts of love are what will define the meaning and legacy of his life. He was a caring friend, a deeply devoted father and a dedicated son, brother, uncle, cousin and most especially, grandfather.

Ned Arnold is survived by his son, Andrew, daughter-in-law, Katherine Lando, and grandchildren, Stella and Rosalind Arnold. He will be laid to rest in a family plot at Calvary Cemetery, Brockton, MA.

A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, August 25, at 10am at St. Patrick's Church, 335 Main Street, Brockton, MA. 

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