Arnold 'Arnie' A. Mohl, 81
Arnold “Arnie” A. Mohl passed away Friday, Sept. 1, 2017, at Hidden Meadows Care Home in Columbia Falls.
Arnie was born Aug. 27, 1936, in Beulah, North Dakota. Born to Alexander and Elizabeth Mohl, Arnie was the 13th in a family of 14 children. Being born into a farming family, they all grew to know the value of hard work. He attended school in Beulah and Zap, North Dakota, graduating from Zap High School. He went on to attend Allen Hancock College in Santa Barbara, California, for two years. During his younger years, Arnie was a golden glove boxer and an avid basketball player. He served in the U.S. Army active duty for two years and in the reserves for an additional four years, being honorably discharged in 1963.
Through Arnie’s education, he started a career as an engineer contractor in the construction industry. He started with the Montana Department of Transportation in Glendive. He worked various positions and locations within in the department before finally settling in Kalispell as a project engineer. In 1973 he had the opportunity to join with two partners in ownership of American Asphalt. In 1986, he split from that partnership and started A-1 Paving with son Kevin and three other partners. During his work, he was elected to the Montana Contractors Association Board. He served in leadership chairs and was president in 1997. In August 2000, Arnie suffered some health issues, but continued to work with his partners until selling A-1 Paving in 2001. In 2012, Arnie was honored by the Montana Contractors Association in receiving a Life Time Achievement award for his outstanding contributions to the construction industry.
In 1994 he was elected to the Montana State Senate. He served as a state senator for eight years, until being term-limited in 2002. He served on various committees as well as being the chairman of the Transportation Committee for three sessions. He often said he was the most proud of his service to the state of Montana. Arnie was a past board member of First Interstate Bank and a lifetime member of the Elks Club. He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Alt-hough Arnie was a very successful businessman and his list of accomplishments was very long, his absolute most prized possession in his life was his family and his wife of 41 years, Margaret. The jewels in his crown were his sons, Kevin and David, his grandchildren CJ, Kaycee, Haiden, Keatin and Kynzie, and his great-grandchildren Maverick, Leighton and Paisley. The sky was the limit for these cherished family members. His generosity was unimaginable. As his sons were growing up, Arnie was an active coach in baseball and supported them in all their activities. He continued that support with his grandchildren in their endeavors as well.
Arnie was preceded in death his parents and nine siblings. He is survived by his wife Margaret, his son Kevin and wife Shari of Sulphur Springs, Texas, along with their children, CJ (wife Lizzy) and Kaycee; son David and wife Stacey of Kalispell, along with their children Haiden, Keatin and Kynzie; and great-grandchildren Maverick, Leighton and Paisley. Arnie is also survived by four sisters and numerous nieces and nephews.
The service for Arnie will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, at the Bethleham Lutheran Church, 603 S. Main St., Kalispell. There will be a viewing at Johnson Gloschat Funeral Home from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 8, prior to the church service. Graveside services will follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens. There will be a reception in honor of Arnie at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1840 U.S. 93 S., Kalispell, following the graveside service.
The family would like to express their sincere appreciation of the staff at Hidden Meadows Memory Care for the excellent care Arnie received this past year.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like to suggest donations to Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp or the Immanuel Lutheran Communities.
Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for the family.