Lori Ann Arnold

Lori Ann (Hillan) Arnold was born July 6th, 1957 in Taft, California.  She passed away peacefully on March 19th after a two-decade battle with cancer.  She was 66 years old.  

Lori is survived by her loving husband, Tim Arnold, her sons, Chip and Daniel, their wives, Karissa and Robyn, and several grandchildren: Garrett, Nolan, Kierdyn, Damon, Ryann, Rylee, and Chloe.  She is also survived by her brother Lancer and his wife and children, her step-brother Mark and his wife and children, and her sisters Linda, Lorraine, and Christina and their children.  She was preceded in death by her Father, Larry Hillan, her mother, Joanne Curtis, and Stepmother, Wilma Hillan.   

Lori grew up in the metropolis of Fellows, CA.  She had many great memories of growing up in a small town, and her lifelong best friend Donna Montes grew up across a vacant field from her.  She attended Fellows Elementary and then Taft Union High School where she graduated in 1975.  Lori had a beautiful voice and was in a band and was a standout in her high school choir.  She was also on the high school swim team and was said to have bench-pressed 200 pounds at one time.  She met Tim her senior year on a blind date where he took her to see the Texas Chainsaw Massacre at a drive-in.  That is when she knew he was a keeper.  They were married on May 17th, 1975.

Tim and Lori moved into a fixer-upper in the cosmopolitan end of Maricopa.  Where they spent a few years and then purchased a two-bedroom mansion a short distance away.  In 1985 they purchased their current home in Maricopa when Tim’s parents retired to Missouri.  They raised their children and over the years they have made several improvements to the home.  Some improvements planned and others not so much.  She resided there until her passing. Her home was always full of love, great food, and decorations for every holiday.  Many holidays were spent with family and friends and even friends of friends.

One of Lori’s greatest legacies was with the students of Maricopa High School through the Maricopa Booster Club.  Every student-athlete was guaranteed a meal after every single home game.  Many great families helped Lori and she was eternally grateful for their help.  Lori also made the booster club profitable enough to provide scholarships to seniors.  The practice continued for over a decade with other club presidents. 

Lori stayed at home with Chip and Daniel until they attended school.  She then went to work for Tim’s parents, Orvel and Lavonne, Montgomery Ward catalog and appliance store in Taft.  The store closed upon the retirement of Tim’s parents and Lori opened a clothing store, a $5 and $10 store, in Taft.  Though her franchise was successful, she managed the store until the corporation bankrupted.  She then went to work for Koch Industries doing data entry at the Taft location and was then transferred to Bakersfield. Koch Industries sold its holdings in California to Enron.  Lori continued with Enron at the gas plant until Enron also left California.  She then moved over to CC&M Truck Service as an office manager.  Lori, cancer-stricken, could not fulfill her duties as an office manager and retired for a bit and then got an offer to do dispatch for Key Energy Services.  Along the way, she made many lifelong friends.    

Lori’s life as Lori ended when she became Yaya.  It was not due to a spiritual awakening, as she wanted to be Nana, but her first grandchild Nolan, couldn’t say Nana and called her Yaya.  Yaya’s greatest loves were watching her children and grandchildren play sports, camping, and traveling.  Yaya and Papa traveled several thousand miles over the years from Temecula to Hanford to Hillsboro, Kansas.  Where there was an Arnold playing, there was a Yaya watching and harassing an umpire with her trademark “Come on Blue!” from the backstop.  She took great pride in always showing up for games and supporting not only the Arnolds but all the children in the community.  

Yaya had several memorable camping trips in which she was able to make memories with her grandchildren, as well as survive near-death experiences, and make a fair share of insurance claims.  There is not a grandchild in the family that cannot assist in backing in a trailer and understands colorful language builds character.  Paper towels are no longer kept in the microwave.  It took a few instances before Yaya found out yellow posts are not extra points if you hit them.  There is not a silly or dramatic moment we all would not relive for more time with Yaya.   

In retirement, Yaya never said no to a trip.  She was able to travel extensively with family and friends. During her working years, she worked so much to attend the ball games that a trip meant a trip to the ball field.  Her most memorable trips were with Lettie, Lancer, Sherry, and Donna.  She would tell the same stories, and they never got old. There is a man in New Orleans that makes the best grits. 

No one was ever too old to sit on Yaya’s lap.  It was never too late to stop by or call.

Lori’s celebration of life will be on Saturday, April 13th at 12:00 noon at the Petroleum Club, 450 Petroleum Club Road, Taft, CA.

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