Josephine Arnold

Mary Josephine Arnold, 91, of Athens, AL, and formerly a longtime resident of Cookeville, TN, passed away peacefully Wednesday, January 16, 2019, after a brief illness. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m Monday January 21 at the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. Rev. Mike Head will officiate. Entombment will follow at Crest Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends Monday from 12 noon until service time. Josephine was born January 27, 1927, in Savannah, TN, to the late Edgar and Beatrice Hodge Doran. She graduated from Central High School in Savannah before attending a Nashville area business school and entering the workforce as a business secretary in Nashville, TN, where she soon met and married her husband Bill Arnold in 1947. Prior to their marriage, Bill was a recently discharged WWII Navy combat veteran and Bill and Josephine soon found themselves moving all over the world with Bill reentering military service in the Army. Josephine was a faithful and supportive serviceman's wife to Bill and a devoted mother to their daughter, Brenda. She eventually found herself living in Cookeville when Bill was assigned to the Tennessee Tech Army ROTC Department and the Arnold family ultimately retired from the Army to settle in Cookeville. Josephine was employed for 20 years by the Cookeville Housing Authority while Bill served in the Cookeville Police Department and was an Instructor in the Industrial Technology Department at Tennessee Tech. While in Cookeville, Josephine and Bill were active members of the First Baptist Church. She and Bill continued their life of service together beyond their military years, volunteering with Shriners transporting medical patients, and working with the Cookeville area Boy Scouts program. Although they moved to North Alabama in 1988 to be closer to family, they often spoke of the friendships and fond memories of their 33 years as Cookeville residents. Josephine was an avid cook, liked playing bridge with friends, enjoyed ballroom dancing, and loved time with family. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Brenda; her husband of 63 years, Bill; three younger brothers, Jimmy, Billy, and Gene Doran; and younger sister, Jeanette Hunter. Josephine is survived by her younger sister, Geneva Smith, sisters-in-law Betty Doran (Billy) and Nancy Doran (Gene), and brother-in-law Joe Hunter (Jeanette), as well as several nieces and nephews. Hooper, Huddleston, and Horner Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. (931)526-6111 Share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com.