David Ellsworth Arnold, of Port Orchard, died at home on Sept. 13, 2008.

He was 81.

He was born on Oct. 18, 1923 in Minneapolis, Minn., to Charles H. and Etta May Arnold (Tattersfield).

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1943 and served during World War II in the South Pacific, where he served as a flight engineer in the 5th Air Force, 433rd Troop Carrier Group. He served in Luzon, New Guinea, Northern Solomons, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Southern Philippines.

He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and other medals for his many missions and for rescuing a fellow soldier during one of the two crash landings he walked away from during the war.

After the war, he became a skilled electrician/aircraft mechanic.

He married Sarah Houghton Wrenn on Feb. 19, 1949.

He moved to Seattle with Northwest Airlines in 1951. He finished his working career with Bemis Bag, Rainier Brewery and The Port of Seattle at SeaTac Airport.

He is survived by his sister Elizabeth Gale, of Spokane; sons Chuck Arnold, of Auburn, Mark Arnold, of Seattle, Bill Arnold, of Port Orchard, and Dave Arnold, of Snoqualmie; daughters Nancy Patterson and Meg Mazzocchi, both of Hailey, Idaho; and 17 grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by wife Sarah Arnold in 2005.

A life celebration mass was held on Sept. 17 at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Port Orchard.

An online memorial is available at www.rill.com.