Longtime Hopkins High School athletic booster Lee Dale “Pete” Arnsman died at home Sunday, Feb. 19.
Born July 10, 1936, in Hopkins, he was the son of the late Leon R. and Edna Mae (Cooley) Arnsman and was the devoted husband of more than 68 years of Peggy Rose (Thompson) Arnsman.
Pete played baseball, basketball and football for Hopkins High School. He was one of the key people who organized the Hopkins High School Athletic Hall of Fame program and was a recipient of an award last year. He also was active with the Hopkins High School Alumni Association, helping to organize and coordinate the annual banquest each June.
Arnsman was a longtime employee at General Motors and he and his wife founded an event center in downtown Hopkins in 1980.
Arnsman could be found in the press box of every home football game game and he and Peggy Rose also were frequent attendees of basketball and baseball games. Pete was a loyal and steadfast supporter of the Then & Now Historical Library, working as a volunteer over many years.
He suffered a stroke several years ago and was confined to a wheelchair at home in his twilight years.
Besides his wife, Pete is survived by his children, Melanie (John) Richards, Melvin Arnsman and Marcia Arnsman-Stone; siblings, Jim (Rita) Arnsman, Dick (Carolyn) Arnsman and Margaret (Hank) VanderVeen; and grandchildren, Harley Stone, Jasmine Stone, Amanda “Rose” Stone, Kimberly Kompier, Kevin Stone, Eric Arnsman, Jody Richards and Bill Richards.
Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Mark Arnsman; and his daughter-in-law, Ann Marie Arnsman.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at Gorden Funeral Residence, Hopkins Chapel. A funeral will take place at Hopkins Community Church at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, with burial following in Maplewood Cemetery.
Donations in Pete’s memory may be made to the Hopkins Alumni Scholarship.
