Arnold Brawner

Kuya Arnie was one of the greatest men that I knew in my life growing up. He was always there to offer help or do whatever was needed without having to be asked. He was a true working man and very hospitable. My fondest memories was when we visited Kuya Arnie and Ate Hilda in Arizona when they use to live there. It was an great trip and wished we did more of those. Sorry, I wasn’t able to visit when he moved his family to Iowa. I wish I could have seen him one more time before he went to heaven. I will always remember him and all the great things he did for our family. Thank you Kuya Arnie for being the great man that you were. I will miss you.

Love,
Arnel Ergina

Arnold Leroy Brawner was born on the 5th of April 1922 and died on the 5th of November 2016. He was one of 5 children and he had 5 children of his own. Arnold was married to his first wife, Marlyn Walton, for 23 years and together they raised three sons: Mikl (Eve Reshetnik), Dan (Laura Rigal), Pres (Jo Schon) and a daughter, Kathleen Worcester (Jonathan). Arnold started his second family at age 60 when he went to the Philippines to marry his pen pal, the island beauty, Hilda Doma. Arnie and Hilda were married 35 years. Victoria Schleier (Matthew) of Marion is their daughter. Arnold was a wonderful Dad to his five children and a “best ever” grandpa to his grandsons. He passed along his good looks, musical talent and adventuresome, exuberant spirit to his look-alike grandson, Luke Hillis. During the Depression when his father couldn’t find work, young Arnold supported the family and paid the taxes on their home with 5 daily paper routes and a bicycle repair business. He was a hero to his brother and sisters. He sold bikes that he constructed from parts, later doing the same thing with junked Model T’s. He was a natural mechanic and engineer. Skilled in every trade, he used to say, “I can fix everything but a broken heart.” While at Wilson High School, he played drums with school band and viola with the orchestra. Because he had perfect pitch, Arnold tuned half the orchestra instruments. He also performed on viola with the Cedar Rapids Symphony. Music was always a big part of his life. He played banjo, ukelele and mandolin for his family and took them for long car rides singing favorite songs together. Arnie had a fine voice and could harmonize any tune. He often whistled happily while he worked. Although he had a broken back from a childhood accident for which he could have been excused from military duty, he volunteered during WWII and served in the army air corps as a chef and butcher. After the army, Arnold moved back to Iowa with his bride and began a long, fulfilling career in real estate—building as well as buying and remodeling houses. He attended Cornell College and later, the University of Iowa. He also had businesses trimming trees and painting farms. He loved taking his children along and teaching them the joy of a job well done. With his second family, Arnold lived for a while in California where he managed and did repairs on various apartment complexes. Arnold was one of Iowa’s pioneer organic farmers and promoted the use of earth worms and composting long before it became popular. He was politically active as town people will remember from his letters to the editor and the signs on his buildings and vehicles. A man of vision, Arnold could look at a house or a person that was considered a discard by others and see the best possibilities. There are a number of individuals in this and other countries (Arnie was a traveler) who owe their second chance at life to Arnie. He was resourceful, honest, hard-working and generous–ready to open his home, his heart and his billfold to anyone in need. He loved people and he loved his country. He was a true friend to his friends, a good neighbor and an upstanding citizen. Arnold is will be greatly missed by all who truly knew him.

Victoria and family – I am so sorry for your loss. Please accept my most sincere sympathy. I know that Arnold loved his children very much. I will always remember seating him at Barnes and Noble when Victoria was the featured guitar player. He was very proud of her musical abilities and he told me how very special she was to him. He will be missed by many.
Remembering you in my prayers.
Mary Ann Gensicke

.hello uncle Arnold. This is Tobin. From the AGE OF ten or so you always found some way where I could earn money by helping you do some job. And every time we worked together I learned something..
And weather It was digging a dich or building a four story office building, you went to Cornell college or the university of Iowa library , and found the correct way to accomplish it. Found the people to supervise how to do it , and accomplish it. And you told me the way to be successful , always in a conspicuous place, do more than you were contracted to do But I never learned to enjoy warm Budweiser. Uncle Arnold I look forward to meeting you again and learning something again
Your nephew Darrell or Tobin..

Hi I remember working with Arnie for three months in 1977. It was great. I was a farmer for three months and whenever I started to get bored it seemed Arnie was also getting bored and we’d go over to some other task. I was composing, fixing houses and doing all sorts of odds and ends. Then after work we’d go to his mothers for dinner. It was one of the happiest times of my life.

Michael Quigley