Powder Springs Mayor Al Thurman and two of the city’s former mayors are remembering the many community contributions of former Powder Springs Councilwoman Nancy Arnold who passed away on April 30 after a long illness.
Her memorial service will be announced at a later date, with West Cobb Funeral Home handling arrangements.
A banker, Arnold, 79, served on the City Council from 2000 to 2007 and also was active with several area organizations, according to a city statement.
In his early years with the City Council that began in 2002 until his election as mayor in 2015, Mayor Al Thurman said of Arnold, “She was a mentor for me. She was a very wise lady.”
“We were a family,” Thurman added.
After Arnold’s time on the Council, Thurman said, “She still had a lot of input in regards to things that were going on. Certainly, she’s going to be missed. To her family, our prayers are with you all.”
Former Powder Springs Mayor Brad Hulsey led the city during Arnold’s first term on the Council - only after she was talked into running by Hulsey, former Powder Springs Mayors John Collar and Richard Sailors and Murray Homan, former chairman of the Development Authority of Powder Springs.
Homan recalled, “We all convinced her to come to my office one day — she didn’t know we were all going to be there, and we kind of ganged up on her and convinced her to run for City Council. She was a little reluctant at first, but she was on Council for a long time and just did a terrific job for the city of Powder Springs.”
Hulsey said, “I found in her truth, honesty, integrity, straightforwardness and love for her community and fellow man, particularly the underprivileged and those in need.”
In addition to being a “strong ally and confidante,” Hulsey said he considered Arnold the “quintessential volunteer” due to her past posts on numerous boards and committees with organizations such as Cobb WellStar Hospital, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, South Cobb Rotary Club and Powder Springs United Methodist Church, “where she could always be found worshiping and giving her all to God.”
Arnold also was chosen as South Cobb Citizen of the Year in 2000.
Former Mayor Patricia Vaughn’s first four-year term was during the second half of Arnold’s tenure with the Council after they had served together on the City Council.
Calling her “a charming lady” and a “wonderful, dear friend,” Vaughn said the Council had “always looked to Nancy for the answers.
“She was one of the best Council members. Nancy always did her homework and studied, always listened to both sides of every issue,” Vaughn said. “She was a great contributor, a person who always watched the money on Council. She was very conservative and kept us all on the right track.”
Arnold was preceded in death by her husband, William David Arnold, in late 2013, who had been a veterinarian and was known as “Doc” in the Powder Springs community.
She is survived by four sons David, Mark, Hank and Connie, their wives, 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
David Arnold said, “Mom has passed on a rich heritage of serving her community and serving others.”
Information: WestCobbFuneralHome.com/obituaries/Nancy-Arnold-3
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