Arnold William Ahrens

March 15, 1925 - July 26, 2024

Wearing a WWII Purple Heart t-shirt, his WWII Railsplitters baseball cap on his IV pole and his Quilt of Valor photo on a room shelf, Arnold "Arnie" Ahrens took his last breath. Arnie (age 99) was surrounded by family at the Boone County Hospital when he quietly went to be with the Lord on July 26, 2024.

Arnie was born March 15, 1925, in his childhood home in Harrison Township (Boone County, Iowa). His parents were Emil and Helen (Toepfer) Ahrens. He grew up on the family farm with two brothers and a sister. Arnie graduated from the 8th grade at a Harrison Township country school. He did not have the opportunity to attend high school.

As a young teen, Arnie learned carpentry skills from his grandfather, Fred Toepfer. Together with other family members they built a corn crib on the family farm, and it still stands solid today. Arnie was very proud of their work, and it was a favorite memory of his work with his grandfather.

Arnie worked as a hired hand for farmer Lawrence McGlynn and was proud to be trusted to drive the McGlynn tractor. When Arnie was drafted by the Army in 1943, Lawrence completed papers for a 1-year deferment for Arnie, as Lawrence had no one else to help him plant and harvest his acres at the time.

Never having been further from his family home than the city of Boone upon occasion, Arnie was drafted in 1944. He rode a bus for the first time with other Boone County men to Camp Dodge and was inducted into the Army on April 14, 1944. From there he rode a train for the first time to basic training at Camp Roberts. California. After basic training and a train ride back to Boone, he had 2 weeks leave before he took another train, this time to New York. He spent one night in a barracks and boarded a troop ship full of replacements to England on October 5, 1944.

Arnie was a "replacement", one of the thousands in WWII. Their purpose was to be assigned to Companies who needed personnel due to deaths, injuries or discharges. One night in a barracks and the soldiers were assigned to specific vehicles the next day. The vehicles went from company to company dropping off men as assigned.

Arnie was wounded in his first battle on November 22, 1944, in the Huertgen Forest (Germany). He was armed with a flame thrower and one grenade. Rising from a foxhole, a bullet went straight in and out of his helmet, impacting and creasing his skull at the crown.

Arnie heard the sound and felt the impact of the bullet. Moreover, he felt the blood running down his neck, but remained conscious. He left his flame thrower and was able to get to the back of the battle to the medics. The medics asked him if he could "walk" to the hospital in a nearby town. Arnie said he could and did carrying only a grenade in his pocket. The one thing that made him angry was that the Germans kept shooting at him as he tried to get to the hospital.

Arnie spent several months recovering in an English hospital. He was going to receive a medical discharge at one point, but the necessary airstrip was bombed before he could leave. So, Arnie continued to recuperate at the hospital and was eventually sent back to his company.

Upon return to Company G, Captain George Felton made Arnie his personal radio carrier. In Arnie's opinion this was somehow better or safer than his former infantry position. More importantly, Arnie had or developed a great respect for his captain, so the position afforded him a place with a leader he trusted. Arnie was a proud member of the 84th Infantry Division Railsplitters, Company G "Doughboy White George".

Arnie was honorably discharged on May 11, 1946, at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin, and returned home to Boone. However, like it was for so many returning soldiers, "home" was different. Unable to farm without help, Arnie's father had sold the family farm and moved into Boone. The one advantage was that Arnie's younger brother, Floyd, was able to attend high school.

Arnie had hoped to farm when he returned from service. His dream crushed, he went to work at Quinn's Foundry in Boone for a few years. Blessed with an uncanny sense of good fortune, Arnie's best friend, Ray Ahrens, and Ray's brother, Ed, asked Arnie to join them doing carpentry, construction, roofing and painting. Ray and Ed came from a large, unrelated Ahrens family and had grown up a short distance down the road from Arnie.

And so, Arnie joined "the Ahrens Brothers" as they were known, and the small group worked on many farms and houses in the Boone area. Over the years, the group changed and separated, and Arnie primarily worked with Ed. As an individual, Arnie would continue working well into his eighties, after the others retired.

During the Arnie and Ed years, they enjoyed each other's company and liked to joke around. When Virgil Kokemiller worked with them, they referred to him as "cookie" or "kookie". They ribbed Virgil almost every day and one time when they thought they should give him a break, he asked them if he had done something wrong. They said, "No. Why?" Virgil said, "Well, you aren't giving me a hard time today!"

Arnie married Elaine Smith on May 17, 1947, and the couple were blessed with son, Brian Ahrens on August 29, 1957. Brian was premature and had to be baptized in the hospital. His godparents were, Ray and Delilah Ahrens. Brian beat the odds and became a talented, musical young man. Unfortunately, Brian died of a sudden illness on September 28, 1992.

Arnie and Elaine divorced while Brian was a young lad. Later, a pretty and smart gal with good humor caught his eye at the local lumber yard. Yes, Darlene (Dar) Hanson of Hanson Lumber had become the apple of Arnie's eye. It's a good thing she felt the same thing, too!

Arnie and Dar married on February 3, 1967, and he gained two stepchildren, Marvin (Marv) and Cherylene (Chery) Nicholson. The Ahrens's were active in the Trinity Lutheran Church and Brian attended Trinity School. Arnie recalled that he was a baptismal godparent to about 6 or more children, including Eric Ahrens (Ray's son) and Lyn Frazier, whose mother, Iris, was a sister to Ray.

Sadly, Arnie lost Dar after 35 years of marriage on December 21, 2003. Besides Dar, his son, Brian, and his parents, preceding him in death were: his siblings and their spouses, Herman Ahrens (Gladys), Darline Johnson (Roy), and Floyd; his stepson, Marv; his nephews Gerald Johnson and Larry Johnson (killed in action in Vietnam), and nephew-in-law, Dan Turner; and brothers-in-law, Mel Hanson and Dave Boehm. Too many relatives and close friends to count.

Arnie had 2 battle campaign stars including one for the Ardennes Counteroffensive or "Battle of the Bulge". His Company G had received the Presidential Unit citation. Little did he know until 2019 that he should have also received a Bronze Star. Arnie's best friend Ray's son, Gary Ahrens, was instrumental in bringing the oversight to light and seeing that Arnie expediently received it.

Arnie was belatedly bestowed the Bronze Star on September 12, 2019, by American Legion Commander Dick Thul and VFW Commander Mike Metcalf, in a private gathering of friends, family and Legion/VFW members in Boone, Iowa.

The Ogden Quilt of Valor (QOV) Piecemakers thanked and honored him with a QOV after he received the Bronze Star at the gathering. In all honesty, while he appreciated the Bronze Star and everything everyone did (especially Gary) to see he received what was due him, he was more thrilled with and touched by the quilt. It was "beautiful". He could not believe anyone did "all that work" just for him and even put his division patch on it. Whenever anyone came to his home, he wanted them to see his quilt and he never thought they'd care about any of his ribbons or medals. The same was true while hospitalized; visitors had to see his QOV photo.

That's because Arnie was a member of "the Greatest Generation", the people who were "just doing their job". They knew they were one of thousands who worked together to get the job done. ...and thousands died that weren't recognized as he was on that day in 2019.

Strong of faith, Arnie rarely missed the opportunity to attend church in one way or another. Arnie regularly attended Trinity services, occupying the 8 a.m. 7th row center aisle seat. When COVID came along he started listening to the church's Sunday radio broadcasts. Finally, during his hospitalization, Lyn Frazier and he watched church services on YouTube via her phone.

Gary Ahrens was an apprentice carpenter in the summers of 1965 and 1966 with his dad (Ray), his uncles Ed, Jean, Dale, and Dean, as well as Arnie. Gary sent a message immediately following Arnie's death describing his perceptions of the group and Arnie's character.

Gary said he learned so much from all of them, not only about building, and sometimes demolishing, but also how men of strength, skill and goodwill served their families, neighbors, and community.

He described Arnie‘s life as "well-lived", and said that no one could think of Arnie as anything but kind and patient. Gary went on to say if you knew him well, you also saw calm resilience and strength. He noted that Arnie‘s life included episodes of deep sorrow. which he bore seemingly without anger or bitterness.

A quiet, unassuming man, Arnie was enthralled by nature, enjoying flowers, butterflies and birds in the yard. He loved animals and sorely missed his childhood horse, Dan, that was sold with the farm during the war. Arnie even endeared the neighborhood community cat to him (Fluffy); and the neighbor's cat, Captain, always "put on a show" for him when he saw Arnie walking up to the window.

Arnie enjoyed anything with or about children. He looked forward to Page School's "walking Wednesdays" that brought them by his home for about 5 years. He really missed it with Page's closure and eagerly watched when another small group walked by this last year or school children walked home.

His front picture window was his "window to the world" and the young family that moved across the street were his entertainment in particular. For years he sat outside in his garage doorway or under the shade of his maple tree, always thrilled when anyone stopped to visit, but particularly old friends, children, and those with dogs.

Arnie was always eager to lend a helping hand and determined to do for himself. He mowed and raked leaves until 2023. He shoveled his and his neighbor's snow and cleaned his gutters until she and his doctor insisted a few years in a row that he stop. Even after their insistence, ladders and shovels had to occasionally disappear at opportune times and Arnie finally saw the sense in their concerns.

He regularly cooked, did dishes, laundry and cleaning. While he enjoyed being waited on hand-and-foot, he didn't allow it unless he was in the hospital. Arnie's favorite show was Lawrence Welk, and his favorite movies were "Home Alone" (all 3) and "Dennis the Menace".

Arnie spent his last 3 weeks rehabbing and being lovingly and attentively cared for by the Boone County Hospital 2nd floor staff and therapists. (He was very happy there and didn't want to transfer to a nursing home.) Some of the staff dubbed him "Mr. Rogers" (PBS) because he was "always so polite" and wore a button-down sweater or shirts over his t-shirts each day.

Left to smile upon his memory are his step-daughter and her husband, Chery and Doug Miller, Collierville, Tennessee; grandson, Greg (Michelle) Miller and their son Meyer, Oxford, England, their daughter, Elle, Oxford, Ohio; nieces Carmen Turner, Ames, Ron (Becky) Johnson, Boone, and Nikki (Tim) Mullins, Boone; great- nephews and nieces; and great-great nephews; sister-in-law, Jorene Boehm and her family; brother-in-law Mel Hanson's family; goddaughter, Lyn Frazier; and neighbor and close friend, Sharil Morain, along with her mother, Delores Miller. Also, "grand" cats, Fluffy and Captain.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested for the VFW or American Legion towards the new building fund, Trinity Lutheran Church, or the Boone Area Humane Society (BAHS).

A Celebration of Life will be at 1:30 pm on Sunday, September 1st, 2024, at Trinity Lutheran Church, Boone, Iowa. Inurnment with military honors following service at Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Montana Street, Boone, Iowa. Fellowship with family present at Trinity Lutheran Church (basement with disabled access) following inurnment.

Please come to celebrate his life and bring great stories. "Visitation" will be the Fellowship, complete with photos, memorabilia, etc. More details of his WWII experience will be available to read at that time.

A live stream of the service will be available on the Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home Facebook Page and can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/SchroederStarkWelin

Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home, 515-432-4550.