Rinee Stephen “Steve” Arnold
JENNINGS — Rinee Stephen “Steve” Arnold, of Lake Charles, was welcomed into heaven by his Lord and Savior on June 12, 2023.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., at Christ’s Church in Jennings with Pastor David Veillon officiating.
Visitation will be held on Monday, June 19, 2023, in the Miguez Funeral Home chapel from 3-9 p.m. It will resume on Tuesday, at the church at 8 a.m. until the time of service. Burial will take place in the Southwest Louisiana Veteran’s Cemetery under the direction of Miguez Funeral Home.
Steve lived in awesome wonder of God’s magnificent world, he embraced the power of the Holy Spirit and channeled it through his daily life, a living testament to his Savior, Jesus Christ. A Vietnam veteran who served as a Marine, Steve earned his doctorate as a Petroleum Engineer, retired from the oil field and joined the sheriff’s department. Steve dedicated his life to being a good servant of God, serving anywhere he could and protecting others, especially those he loved. An unconventional romantic, Steve chose Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” as their wedding song for Penelope to walk down the aisle. Though he met her later in life, he would often refer to her as the best thing that happened to him in this life.
Steve loved an adrenaline rush. From building and driving motorcycles and sports cars, to parachuting, scuba diving or trying different exotic foods. He grabbed life with both hands and held on tight. He embraced all of life with a zest for adventure, traveling the world with Penelope at his side. Some of their most memorable adventures include Greece, Turkey, Scotland, Dubai and Egypt, to name some. However, their family vacation last year to the Holy Land was the most remarkable of all. The Mount of Olives, Calvary and the Sea of Galilee held him speechless as he considered the life of Jesus on those hallowed grounds.
A Godly and devoted family man, he tried to teach his children the valuable lessons his father had taught him. From the shooting range to fishing, woodworking, carpentry and bonfires, Steve helped them grab the gusto of life while wrapping it in a fabric of moral observation. He extended his fatherly devotion to his two nephews, David and Daniel, whom he treated as his own. Beside the dedication to his natural family, Steve served his church family as an Elder of the Community Christian Church in Lake Charles. He was sacrificial with his time and energy and could be found driving a tractor or digging a ditch at the church’s land, all with a smile on his handsome face and love gleaming from his hazel eyes.
He also contributed monthly to the mission that Penelope’s grandparents started in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, over 50 years ago, always conscientious to spread the Gospel. He not only contributed to the mission financially but would also travel there at least once a year to work and visit the people that he had come to love so much. A protector, a rock-steady leader, a hardworking, sacrificial, Godly man who took care of things, Steve does not leave us alone, but lives within us through our shared spirit of Christ, and with this, we do rejoice.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Penelope and their three children, Stephen, Angelicanna and Victorianna Arnold; his two children from a previous marriage, Josh (Sara) Arnold and Heather Arnold; one brother, Paul Arnold; his father and mother-in-law, David and Manzanita Bowers; brother and sister-in-law, Kendall and Annie Faull; his “adopted sons” David and Daniel Pentecost; his aunt, Betty Arnold; seven grandkids, and numerous cousins and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Jesse and Betty (Rougeau) Arnold.
Carrying Steve to his final place of rest will be Stephen Arnold, David Pentecost, Josh Arnold, Gary Arnold, Ryan Arnold, Doug Creger, Willie Ledoux and Da’vid Veillon. Honorary pallbearers, Bill Ledoux and Paul Arnold.
Words of comfort may be expressed to the family at www.miguezfuneralhome.com