Arnold (Arnie) Levesque left this world to join his Heavenly Father on Wednesday, October 25th
at St. Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay.
Arnold was born in Escanaba, Michigan on July 16th, 1939 to Arthur and Pearl (Lantange) Levesque and was raised in the Riverland area. He attended Escanaba Senior High School, joined the U.S Army shortly after graduating and was honorably discharged in 1960 after two years of service. He played hockey in high school and was a Golden Glove boxer in the Army, winning numerous fights.
He was united in marriage to the love of his life Gloria Ann Knutson on January 20th 1962 in Flat Rock and they raised a family of 5 children. Gloria preceded him in death on November 3, 2011.
He worked as a sprinkler fitter, welder, weld supervisor and other positions throughout his career. He was extremely hard working with an unmatched work ethic, and had a tireless devotion to God and family. In 1982 he bought and opened Arnie’s Sales and Service in Riverland, Michigan which he operated for 10 years. It was definitely his calling as he formed many memorable relationships, and was an incredible salesman and businessman. After the store closed he moved back to Wisconsin and worked as a welder at Nordberg, and then at Seagrave which he retired from in 2009.
Arnold was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and friend. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, motorcycle rider and Texas Hold ‘Em player. Arnold was an incredibly gifted singer and musician, and performed at the Grand Ole Opry when he was 17. He shared that gift in many ways by playing in several bands in Michigan and Wisconsin on the weekends. He was especially thrilled to play at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and would talk about how happy the residents were to see them play and how much joy it brought them.
Arnold was diagnosed in 2009 with Myelodysplastic Syndrome and was given a 2-5 year prognosis. But as anyone who knew him will say, you can’t tell Arnie what to do… and he fought the disease for the next 14 years. It was not an easy fight, and he had many complications over the years. He was hospitalized several times with doctors saying he wasn’t going to recover, but every time he proved them wrong and to the doctor’s amazement walked out the front door. He was the toughest man anyone has ever met, the most devoted, loving and dedicated person you could ever hope to meet. He faced his illness with amazing strength, dignity, courage, tenacity, and with an incredible sense of humor.
One of Arnold’s joys in his life was his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and he looked forward to their visits with great anticipation. He became extremely ill and was hospitalized in August 2023, and his biggest wish was that he would live long enough to see his newest great grandson born. Despite the incredible odds, he walked out of the hospital 2 weeks later, the baby was born and he was able to hold him and feed him. In Arnold’s honor he was named Jacksen Arnold Brehm.
He also had an extremely strong relationship with God and his son Jesus Christ which helped sustain him and give him the strength to fight, and he testified to everyone whenever he could. His faith and devotion to God was inspiring and incredible to behold, and we know he has been welcomed with open arms in paradise and given a long flowing robe for his many good deeds. He touched many people’s lives in his 84 years and will be greatly missed by them all.
The family wishes to express our sincerest thanks to all the doctors and nurses who have cared for him throughout his illness, some of whom became like family. Especially the staff at Green Bay VA, Green Bay Oncology, St. Vincent and St. Mary’s hospitals.
Arnie is survived by his children: Rebecca (Brian) Daley, Merrill, WI; Bradley (Gretchen) Levesque, Bellevue, NE; Brian (Trina) Levesque, Combined Locks, WI; Brent (Cheryl) Levesque, Escanaba, MI; & Bridgette Levesque, Clintonville
Grandchildren: Jeremy (Becky) Brehm, Jordan (Krissy Schweitzer) Brehm, Heidi (Megan) Levesque, Nathan (Taylor) Levesque, Kyra Levesque, Cassandra Levesque, Brandon (Allison) Deiter, Brittany Levesque, Brady & Beau DeCamp
Great-grandchildren: Mckenzie, Jacksen, Aven, Alden, Brantley, Cade, Lilah, Kynlee, & Jameson
Brothers: Harold (Mary Ann) Levesque, Mike (Judy) Levesque, & Marvin (Nancy) Levesque, all of Escanaba, MI
Arnie was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Gloria; and a grandson, Justin Brehm.
Funeral services will be held at 12 PM Friday, November 3, 2023 at The Eberhardt-Stevenson Funeral Home & Crematory, Clintonville North Location (53 N. Main St. Clintonville, WI 54929), with Pastor Diana Ziegler officiating. Military honors will be conducted following the service by VFW Post #664, American Legion Post #63, American Legion Auxiliary Unit #63, & VFW Auxiliary Unit #664, all of Clintonville. Inurnment will take place at 1 PM on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at Trinity-St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Town of Dupont.
Visitation will be held on Friday at the funeral home from 10 AM until the time of service.
In lieu of flowers the family would like you to make a donation to St. Jude’s Hospital in Arnold’s name, as it was a charity that he loved.
An online guestbook is available at eberhardtstevenson.com.