Lester Hamilton Arnold was born May 24, 1924 in Senoia, Coweta County, Georgia and died on July 4, 2018 in Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia.  A funeral service will be held on Monday, July 9th at 11:00 am in the Chapel of Marietta Funeral Home, Rev. Glenn Williams will be officiating.  Burial will follow in Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia.  The son of Hubert Hillman Arnold and Susie Mae Hyde, he had 1 older brother, William Albert Arnold and 2 younger brothers Marion Allen Arnold and H. Hillman Arnold.  He also had 1 half-sister, Marilyn Arnold.

Lester was known by many names such as Hamilton, Arnold or Mr. Arnold as well as Hamp, Gov'na, Hambone, Monkey, Dad, Daddy and Papa.  Lester served in the United States Armed Forces - Western Pacific from March 23, 1945 based at Ft. McPherson, Georgia.  He was in the Philippines when the bomb was dropped to end World War II and he received an honorable discharge on December 15, 1946.  He was decorated with an Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Independence Ribbon, Meritorius Unit Award and a World War II Victory Medal.

Lester is survived by two daughters: Linda Dianne Arnold (Glen) Cowart of Mooresville, North Carolina and Andrea Elaine Arnold (Gregory) Shook of Marietta, Georgia, a step daughter Rita Lynn Farmer (Larry) James of Salt Springs, Florida; 5 grandchildren Brenton Neal (Sabrina) Berry of Indian Trail, North Carolina, James Hamilton Cowart, Lindsey Dianne Cowart (Alex) Cromie both of Mooresville, North Carolina, Piper Claire Shook and Finnegan Hale Shook, 2 step-grandchildren Corey Andrew James and Casey Leigh James of Marietta, Georgia and 3 great grandchildren, Annabella Dawn Berry, Hamilton Waites Berry and Asher William Cromie and 1 step great grandchild Axel Steven James.

Lester married Mary Sue Jackson in October 1943 who passed away on April 7, 1969.  He remarried Rosella Norton on December 26, 1969 who passed away on January 6, 2018.

Lester worked at the Army Depot at Ft. McPherson and went on to be employed by the Federal Government at the Centers for Disease Control as a Civil Engineer.  He retired from there in 1981 and enjoyed a long retirement where he had many hobbies.  He owned 25 acres in Hampton, Georgia near Griffin and would spend time there gardening growing vegetables, grilling out, going for long walks with family, neighbors and always the dogs, tending to the land (cutting grass, cutting down trees, playing in the creek) and riding motorcycles.  He always made time for family and enjoyed many beach trips to Florida with them.  He spent every holiday and birthday with them and would make regular trips to see his Dad (who passed away in 1982), Aunts, Uncles and Cousins in Turin, Georgia.  He enjoyed buying and selling cars, boats, RV's and motorcycles.  He even bought a go-cart for the kids to ride in Hampton.  He loved buying used cars the most, cleaning them up and reselling them.  He loved his tools. He would collect things because you just never knew when you were going to "need that." He would spend hours reading the classified section of the newspaper and the Auto Trader looking for a good deal.  He loved the water and purchased a home on Lake Allatoona in the early 1970's and sold it in the mid 1970's before dedicating his time to his land in Hampton.  He was always up for a swim in the ocean, a lake or the pool.  Never met a body of water he didn't like.  That's the best way to cool off in the summer in the south.  He told of stories of jumping off of cliffs, bridges, trees, etc. in to the water sometimes with unintended consequences!  He wasn't a big fan of the cold weather.  He was much more active when it was warm outside.

Lester also had a passion for cutting down trees. He liked the beauty of trees and appreciated their shade and he knew them all by name, but he thought they were messy and dangerous when near a house.  So he loved to get out his chainsaw and cut a tree down.

Going through his photographs from the time he was born, you can see his main loves were family, his children and grandchildren, dogs and the beach.  He loved a good watermelon and homemade vanilla or peach ice cream every now and then.  His other favorites were a good grilled steak or BBQ ribs he cooked himself and anything coconut.  The man loved to eat and drink and celebrate life.

A real southern gentleman who was easy to get along with, he had a heart of gold and a wonderful sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and neighbors as there is no one like him.  He overcame a great deal of adversity with his 7th grade education and loss of loved ones at an early age and never let growing up with nothing slow him down.  He overcame a lot of illness late in life and always maintained a smile and made sure we all knew he was still kicking but not very high and that he was ok.  He never wanted to be a burden to anyone and never asked for anything.  A man of intelligence, he focused on hard work, getting the job done with what he had and he always took great care of people, animals and possessions.

The family will receive friends from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Sunday, July 8th at Marietta Funeral Home.