Obituaries

Daniel Leroy Arnett aka “Old Man Dan”, 86, of Villa Hills, KY died at home on September 16th, 2026. He was born in Quincy, IL in 1940 to Howard and Jesse (Hipkins) Arnett and married to Louise E Arnett (Waldeck) for 61 years.

Dan proudly served his country as a veteran of the United States Army from 1959 to 1966 in Schweinfurt, Germany, driving officials in Jeeps. He had a life-long love of aviation, but his greatest source of pride and happiness was his family.

Dan was an incredible father to his three sons, Matt (Elaine), Mike (Becky), and John (Katie) and a loving grandfather to Logan, Monica, Jacob, Bethany, and Allison.

He was preceded in death by his mother Jesse, father Howard, sister Susanne Lubbert, and granddaughter Kelly Arnett.

Dan will be remembered for the love he gave his family, the volunteering example he modeled for his sons, his dedication to his grandchildren, and the lasting impact he made on those fortunate enough to know him. His memory will continue to live on through the family he loved so deeply.

Dan attended Central High School in Cincinnati and met his future wife, Louise, at the Mainliner Frisch’s in Mariemont-Fairfax. They married on May 1, 1965 and transferred for work with the Mead Paper Corporation in Cincinnati to the Macon, Georgia location. In 1969, they moved back to the greater Cincinnati area to open Arnett’s Hobbies and Crafts in Erlanger, Kentucky. They raised their family in Turkeyfoot Acres, KY and Villa Hills, KY.

Dan was a highly skilled builder, mechanic, and engineer. He used his skills to build and fly model airplanes; he started the original Flying Cardinals RC model airplane club in Crittenden, Kentucky. He built a very large 50’x40’ castle on wheels for Dixie Heights Marching Band in 1990 as their main field prop which hid the entire 150+ marching band until the show started. He engineered it to be transported on a small pickup truck. Dan volunteered as a Cub Scout leader and greatly enjoyed teaching scouts how to build Pinewood Derby cars.

Visitation for Dan will be held on Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at Linnemann Funeral Homes in Burlington, Kentucky. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. Dan will be laid to rest at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North in Williamstown, Kentucky, at a later date.