H.C. Arnold Jr

Henry Clay Arnold, Jr.
H. C. (Junior) Arnold Jr of Fall Branch, TN was born in Gate City, Virginia on December 18, 1927 to Henry Clay and Ruth Arnold. He passed away peacefully on May 2, 2016 at Holston Manor in Kingsport, TN after a long battle with heart disease. This date would have been his 59th wedding anniversary. He was a beloved husband to Vivian Arnold and father to Clay Arnold.
Raised from humble beginnings by a single mother during the depression, and overcoming a talent for fighting in his youth, he achieved many things in his long life. He traveled the world in the Navy, serving aboard the Battleship Missouri, then traveling and working all over the United States. It was on a trip to California that he met the love of his life, Vivian Tomason, who would become his wife of 51 years, until her death on May 1, 2008.
Junior was an avid hunter and enjoyed fox and coon hunting, but his passion was bear and wild boar. He lived in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California where he hunted bear and cougar. What made him different is that he rarely killed the animals and never had one mounted for display. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, the sound of the dogs in the distance, and the comradery and tales with the other hunters in the party.
Professionally, he was a member of the Carpenter’s Union in California and was a master carpenter in the 1960s. When he moved back to Gate City in the 1970s, he was a business owner with his wife, Vivian. They owned the Mountain Empire restaurant in Weber city, the Old Dominion Cafe in Gate City, and also the Liberty Cafe in Gate City for many years in the 1970s and 1980s.
Junior was also a walking encyclopedia on nearly any animal. Although he had a limited education, he read constantly about whatever livestock he had at the time, from rabbits to llamas and everything in between. He also brought Russian boar to Scott County in the 1970s and was one of the first to have Long Horn cattle in the region in the 1980s.
He also raised many different types of birds and used his 300 egg incubators to hatch birds for other people due to the complexity involved. He loved game chickens and had many breeds, but he never fought them. He loved breeding them and greatly appreciated their beauty and dignity.
He was able to turn his life around from a troubled youth to an upstanding citizen who contributed to society for the remaining 70 years of his life. His word was his bond and his strength of character is his lasting legacy. He will be greatly missed by all that knew him, especially by his son.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 51 years, Vivian Arnold, his mother Ruth Arnold, his dear sister Zella Arnold, his brother Bruce Arnold, and his sister Nancy Arnold.
He is survived by his son Clay Arnold and his wife Jaime of Fall Branch, TN, his sister Juanita Leask and her husband David of Sun City, AZ and many other family members and friends that will miss him.
Memorial Services will be held at Gate City funeral home in Gate City, Va on Saturday May 7, 2016 from 12:00 to 2:00 PM. No flowers or donations are necessary, only thoughts and recollections of him are requested by any that can attend.