Arnold Kenneth McDaniel

Arnold K. McDaniel age 95 of Tracy, MN died Sunday, January 5, 2014 at the Sanford-Tracy Area Medical Center. Services will be 11:00 AM Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Tracy Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 5:00 until 7:00 PM Friday, February 7, 2014 at the Almlie Funeral Home, with a prayer service at 7:00 PM. Interment will be in the Tracy City Cemetery with a luncheon served in the church social hall immediately following the burial. The Almlie Funeral Home in Tracy is handling the arrangements. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be made payable to either the Tracy Methodist Church Basement Window Fund or the Tracy Masonic Lodge’s Tracy Matched Funds Food Shelf Drive. Please mail to either Dave Hicks of Tracy, MN or Almlie Funeral Home in Tracy. Arnold Kenneth McDaniel was born September 25, 1918 to Samuel and Marie (Balle) McDaniel in Island Lake Township in western Lyon County, near Tyler, MN. He was baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith and attended country school. On May 18, 1934, during the depression’s worst week of dust storms, Arnie’s youngest sister was born and his father died that same day. Arnie and his older siblings took care of the younger children and managed to stay on the farm through crop failures, bitter winters, and bankruptcy. His lifelong approach to his work ethic, values, persistence, enjoyment and faith, was galvanized by this experience. On July 9, 1944 Arnie married Everal Faye Kennedy in the Marshall Methodist Church. He many times expressed this opinion that Everal was the best influence on his life. Moving from the Marshall area to Tracy in 1946, his wife started teaching and Arnie worked various jobs until he landed a job at Gordon Mattson’s John Deere dealership in December of 1950. With a dream to farm, Arnie found a friend and mentor in Gordon, who helped him get started in 1953. Able to buy land in the 1960’s, Arnie had made it to the good ground around Tracy. They moved out to the farm in 1972 and into Tracy in 1991. A lifelong John Deere man, he formed a special friendship with a young John Deere employee, Ron Holmbeck, who restored Arnie’s 1959 “630” to mint condition. It later made the 1994 John Deere calendar. Arnie enjoyed fishing, card playing, horseshoes, and town team baseball. He served as president of the Tracy Engineers baseball team for many years and was a driving force in the forming of the Wheels Across The Prairie Museum in Tracy. Most of all he loved spending time with his family, local history, giving of his time to the community and as many know, visiting with anyone. He was a member of the Tracy United Methodist Church and Tracy Lions Club, and his faith and friendships nourished by community and congregation helped him grow and stay relevant in his later years. His recent involvement with the Tracy Food shelf had a big impact on his outlook, his focus to serve, and to build new friendships. He lived out his dream with dignity, promoted his community with enthusiasm, held strong opinions along with deep concern for others, and lived with vitality. Arnie moved into the O’Brien Court Apartments and became a patient of Sanford-Tracy Area Medical Center shortly before his death on Sunday, January 5, 2014 at the age of 95. Arnold is survived by his one son, Ron (Marcia) McDaniel of Tonka Bay, MN; one daughter, Nyla (Ragnar) Nordvik of Sammanish, WA; three grandchildren, Markus (Kasey) Nordvik, Ryan Nordvik and Kari Nordvik all of San Francisco, CA; one sister, Shirley Whitlock of Upland, CA; one sister-in-law, Lauraine McDaniel of Marshall, MN; many nieces, nephews and friends. His wife, Everal, his parents, six brothers, Adrian (June), Orville (Alma), Eldon (Julia), Marion (Shirley), Lowell and Irvin McDaniel, five sisters, Bee (Marlin) Peterson, Cleone (Guy) Stewart, Arlene(Everett) Buchert, Alice(Ozzie) Reed, and Yvonne(George) Tanghe, and brother-in-law, Guy Whitlock preceded him in death.