Donald "Arv" Joseph Arvidson

Donald fell and hit his head on the sidewalk at home Tallmadge Oaks on December 11, 2022. He ended up at Wade Park on March 08, 2023 and from then he came home and had neck surgery removed 2 or 3 vertebrae on March 15, 2023 and since then he was unable to hold up his head, and it hurt him. The doctor said it was a pinched nerve and he had to have it operated on so it doesn't happen again. Since than he has been in and out of hospitals and nursing homes most of some three years. He was paralyzed for the last half week before stopping breathing April 06, at 2:30 PM. I was there 10 minutes when he stopped breathing. They told me he could hear me so I talked to him for 1 and a half hours twice a day last two days, and played "Alexa" with his favorite songs to him. Before that I visited every day 2:30 PM to 4 PM and he was able to talk then.

ARV and I have been married for 38 years and 2 months. We were members of "Immaculate Heart of Mary Church" to 2012 and "Our Lady of Victory" after that.

A mutual friend who also lived in the same courtyard apartments, introduced us to each other. It was a Friday when he came home from bowling at 9 pm. I asked him some personal questions and he answered them. I said "what you have is "Hope." He later that night came over and changed my burnt-out light bulb on my porch. He, Arv, had COPD but quite smoking 20 years before the COPD. They say, he died from bladder cancer. We decided "No More Operations," and Dr. Susan Tucker agreed with us. She said "keep on talking with each other" Because we decided that he would die from an infection and not treat it and the doctors agreed.

He gave me rides to and home from second shift at Lawsons main offices in Cuyahoga Falls doing money orders and doing Pennsylvania State Taxes @ ICSI, (International Computer Services Incorporated) I had 40 quarters or ten years' worth of Social Security Taxes which were enough quarters for retirement and Medicare for myself and Arv too. He would not have lived for so long without Medicare. He also had the VA helping him at Wade Park and Caregiver Support from January 2026 to April 6, 2026. They covered the Heather Knoll Nursing Home from February 2026 to April 06, 2026 and would have longer if he lived longer.

We went to the Howard Johnson's in Wheeling West Virginia for our honeymoon 2 years before our wedding. The car just made it home. The timing chain was breaking. We coasted home the last couple of miles.

We visited Arv's Father (Don's) family in Chicago when 2 cousins were getting married. We did that also two different times total. The three of us were still smoking, and Alice suffered in the car. Alice, bro. Joe, Arv and I went in Alice's Cadillac with Joe driving. Arv and I have since quite smoking. And I quite drinking alcohol a year before. And after me, Arv did the same.

Later, after knowing him for many months, I asked him, "May I sleep on your couch?" I never went back to my apartment. When he was ok'd to move into Tallmadge low-income apartments, I moved there with him. All I took with me is my twin sized bed and my few clothes. I left all my apartment things and the apartment to my brother Daniel. Before we were married at Mr. George Hunyadi's Feb 8th 1988, Arv and I lived together for 3 years. We let the preacher pick the date 2-8-1988, which is Arv's "Happy Day". The preacher did not know that.

"Happy Day" is when his mother, Alice, picked him from a group at an orphanage. She told him, "You are the one I picked, I could have had anyone - but you are the special one I picked". That is the date they celebrated his birthday because the date he was born was too close to Christmas, so he received Christmas Presents on Christmas, and birthday presents on February 8 every year.

He was in a bowling league (on a Friday) when I met him. He had one perfect game 300 sometime before we met. After moving to 1818 Jefferson 9 months after our first wedding, we joined a couple's bowling leagues about three a week. We bowled about 5 years. We earned several trophies with our 2 partners. Including two wins for the year.

I volunteered at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital for 2 years. Then Arv helped me to finish my second Associate Degree from The University of Akron. I quite the volunteer job and went from September 1997 to May 1998. I took 2 courses each semester. Arv helped me by waking me up early (6 or 7 am). I did not miss one day. He also would not let me drop any courses; it was difficult. Arv graduated from Buckeye Collage with an Associate Degree in Accounting with honors. I graduated from The University of Akron with an Associate Degree in Business Management.

We moved in at Jefferson Ave. Cuyahoga Falls, 4 houses from brother Ille's' house. We lived there for 23 years. We moved to Tallmadge Oaks Apartments for 12 years the year of 2012 when Ille's passed away. He never saw our new apartment. He asked me how it was.... I told him it was clean, and large, and had tall ceilings.

He has one brother, Joseph K. Arvidson, 2 nephews young Joseph K. II, and Jared A. Arvidson. Their mothers, are Rhonda, and Heather, respectively. Arv's mother Clare A. (Alice) Arvidson 76 and father Donald (Don) Nels Arvidson 67 have gone to Heaven before Arv. I wanted to thank Clair (Alice) Arvidson for the well-respected name: Mrs. Arvidson. In-Laws of Arv, my parents are Tibor, and Roza Santa have gone too.

After Tallmadge Oaks Apartments, since 2024 August we are now at Danbury Senior Living. I am going to stay there as long as I can.

He leaves his In-Laws, the Santa's. Arv helped them and so did I. Brother & Sister In-Laws follow: Tibor (Wanda), Izabella, Kornel (Rebecca S), Laura, Andrew (Arlene), and Sally (Joe Joe). And he was proceeded by In-Laws' Ille's Santa age 54 Jun 22, 2012 - Rosemary Dec. 2, 2019 @ 50 (Shawn Vester), and Daniel Santa May 11, 2023 at age 63.

We appreciate all the prayers of Our Lady of Victory, they had him on 3 years on and off prayer requests at the church. We appreciate all the Prayers of family, and friends. And thank you to our neighbors at Danbury Senior Living for all their well-wishers, handshakes, and hugs and prayers.

Arv went peacefully at the Heather Knoll Nursing Home and Wellspring Hospice. Thank you all at those places. He waited for me to get there before he stopped breathing.

Beginning of Final Song: "God be with you till we meet again." Read before singing.