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Philip Walter “Phil” Arnold

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Birth	:	27 Oct 1915 Naches, Yakima County, Washington, USA
Death	:	14 Jan 2012 Vancouver, Clark County, Washington, USA
Burial	:	Park Hill Cemetery, Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate	:	45.6264000, -122.6061020
Plot	:	Section A, Lot 505, Grave 1
Description	:	Philip W. Arnold married Helen M. Hills at 8:15 P.M. on 11 January 1941 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. Witnesses: Herbert McNutt and Lola L. Hills [Helen's sister] =========================== The Columbian Vancouver, Washington Tuesday, 17 January 2012 Phil Arnold, 1915-2012 Vancouver mapmaker left his mark. Phil Arnold definitely left his mark on the Vancouver area. For more than 60 years, Arnold created maps that illustrated the growth of Clark County. Arnold, 96, died Saturday at the Hough neighborhood home he shared with his wife, Helen, for almost 71 years. It was a home that doubled as a... Read More	Philip W. Arnold married Helen M. Hills at 8:15 P.M. on 11 January 1941 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington. Witnesses: Herbert McNutt and Lola L. Hills [Helen's sister] =========================== The Columbian Vancouver, Washington Tuesday, 17 January 2012 Phil Arnold, 1915-2012 Vancouver mapmaker left his mark. Phil Arnold definitely left his mark on the Vancouver area. For more than 60 years, Arnold created maps that illustrated the growth of Clark County. Arnold, 96, died Saturday at the Hough neighborhood home he shared with his wife, Helen, for almost 71 years. It was a home that doubled as a business office for Arnold Map Service. The maps were sold downstairs; Arnold's mapmaking office was upstairs. That's where he carefully inked every new road, drew every new school and lettered the name of every new street that filled in the county's cartographic blanks. He did it all by hand, long after most people choose to - or are forced to - call it a career. "He had cataract surgery after his 90th birthday," Janice Arnold said. "His eyes were so critical." In addition to his keen eyes, "What was so incredibly amazing was his steady hand. He could draw these tiny things: really amazing," she said. He is survived by Helen, their sons, Phil Jr. and Dean, and daughter Janice. Phil Jr. and his wife, Kathy, have been operating the business for the past few years and will continue to sell Arnold's maps. Arnold's old-school craftsmanship got a nod from Gov. Chris Gregoire a few days after he turned 90 on Oct. 27, 2005. The Arnolds visited her Olympia office, where Gregoire issued a proclamation describing him as "most likely the oldest working cartographer in the world." Gregoire noted that his hand-inked technique for creating map masters, which then are photographed as part of the printing process, is very labor intensive but highly accurate. "Hand drawing maps is a rare art, and Mr. Arnold is credited with keeping this technical art alive," she said in the proclamation. Arnold thanked the governor by creating some maps with a couple of streets that don't actually exist: Gregoire Way and Chris Lane. 'Living one's passion' Arnold was working as a civil engineer for the city of Vancouver in the late 1940s when a guy came into his office. The visitor wanted to sell a city map, and was looking for some information, according to a 2005 story in The Columbian. After thinking it over for a few days, Arnold decided "to make my own map," he told The Columbian. Arnold went into business in 1950. "Every day, he had a ritual," said Janice Arnold, who grew up in a home where the breakfast table was part of the family business. "He would read The Columbian over breakfast, then look at building permits." Even when there wasn't a business groundbreaking or a new subdivision that required an update, mapmaking still was a continual process for her father, Janice Arnold said. "When he didn't have a new road to put on it, one of his jobs was tracing every name in a map and making it a tiny bit bigger," she said. Instead of using computer technology for generating names and addresses, Arnold used stencil-like metal templates to guide his finely tipped ink pen. When Arnold died Saturday, his work wasn't done. Arnold was working on a 2012 map of Vancouver, his daughter said. "What a testament to living one's passion," she said. Janice Arnold said she and Phil Jr. "will see if we can publish the 2012 map in his honor." For a segment filmed by Seattle's King TV when Phil Arnold was 85, visit King5 Evening Magazine "Map maker".

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Philip Walter “Phil” Arnold's memorial?
Philip Walter “Phil” Arnold's memorial is located at: Park Hill Cemetery, Vancouver, Clark County, USA.
When did Philip Walter “Phil” Arnold death?
Philip Walter “Phil” Arnold death on 14 Jan 2012 in Vancouver, Clark County, Washington, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Philip Walter “Phil” Arnold's memorial?
Latitude: 45.6264000
Longitude: -122.6061020

Family Members:

Parent

Edward Arnold

(1884 - 1939)

Maria Wilson Jones Arnold

(1887 - 1955)

Spouse

Helen Marie Foster Arnold

(1916 - 2013)

Siblings

Edna Renee “Renee” Arnold Gaston

(1914 - 2005)

John Edward Arnold

(1919 - 2004)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Park Hill Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6264000, -122.6061020

2. Old Vancouver City Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6295013, -122.6411972

3. Good Shepherd Episcopal Church Columbarium
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6153300, -122.5605800

4. Evergreen Memorial Gardens
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6287500, -122.5568200

5. Mother Joseph Catholic Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6417007, -122.6563034

6. Fort Vancouver Military Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6399950, -122.6598690

7. Saint Lukes Episcopal Church Columbarium
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6404000, -122.6674000

8. Saint Paul Lutheran Church Memorial Wall
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6314690, -122.6767370

9. Clark County Poor Farm Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6715240, -122.6527405

10. Oregon Humane Society Animal Cemetery
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5796900, -122.6527200

11. Historic Columbian Cemetery
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5843940, -122.6779400

12. Fourth Plain Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.6747017, -122.5425034

13. Saint John's Catholic Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.7000000, -122.6090000

14. Columbia Masonic Cemetery
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5587230, -122.5615880

15. Rose City Cemetery
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5499992, -122.6078033

16. Japanese Ancestral Cemetery
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5500000, -122.6115000

17. National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother Cemeter
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5518690, -122.5721300

18. Fishers Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5891380, -122.5024033

19. Saint Matthews Episcopal Churchyard
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5555800, -122.5463800

20. Powell Grove Cemetery
Portland, Multnomah County, USA
Coordinate: 45.5567800, -122.5370400

21. Salmon Creek Cemetery
Salmon Creek, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.7043991, -122.6603012

22. Saint Johns Lutheran Cemetery
Salmon Creek, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.7043991, -122.6616974

23. Salmon Creek Pioneer Cemetery
Vancouver, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.7042920, -122.6621647

24. Brush Prairie Cemetery
Brush Prairie, Clark County, USA
Coordinate: 45.7047005, -122.5496979