Arnold Ray “Arnie” Young, 73, of LaGrande, Ore., passed away at his home Sunday, April 10, 2022.
Arnie was born March 4, 1949, in Moscow, and grew up on the family farm on the breaks of the Snake River, southwest of Pullman, Wash.
Arnie was a farm kid, and his work ethic was a big part of his identity all through his life. He was a lifelong fan of Washington State Cougar athletics, as well as the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.
After graduating from Pullman High School in 1967, Arnie married Karen Akins and shipped off to Vietnam as a member of the U.S. Navy Sea-Bees. Arnie saw three tours of duty as a heavy equipment operator and road builder.
After leaving the Navy, Arnie farmed with his family on the Palouse for a few years before relocating to La Grande in 1978. Once settled in LaGrande, Arnie started driving a delivery route for the Coca Cola company, and his route took him all around the northeast corner of Oregon. He eventually moved over to Pepsi and continued to drive his routes.
Arnie took a year off from his regular life in the year 2000 and rode his bicycle around the world for a year, peddling through 45 countries and approximately 18,000 miles with the Odyssey 2000 group. This trip inspired Arnie to travel even more, and over the course of the 2010s, he traveled to Cuba; Rio De Janero, Brazil; and he made a couple of trips to Sturgis, S.D., on his Harley.
Arnie started buying rental property in the 1970s, and he worked very hard to make sure that his houses were in immaculate shape. He took great pride in the upgrades to each house and the creative landscaping, all of which he did himself.
After retirement from his truck-driving job, Arnie continued to invest in properties in the Grande Ronde Valley.
In recent years, Arnie enjoyed watching his grandsons play baseball and basketball, traveling all around the northwest to watch games.
Arnie is survived by his two older sisters, Barbara and Sunny, both of Kennewick; brother Larry (Anita) of Pullman; sons C.J. (Danielle) of Colfax, and Steve; grandsons Laken and Bennett, both of Spokane; and several nephews and nieces.
Arnie was preceded in death by his father, Robert, and mother, Iva Dell, of Pullman.
A celebration of Arnie’s life will be held 2-4 p.m. May 22, 2022, at Mid-Columbia Libraries rose garden gazebo, 1620 S. Union St., Kennewick, WA 99338.
