Arnold Sverreson Gotaas' Obituary
Arnold Gotaas passed away on October 24, 2020, he was 84 years old. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. Arnie grew up in Highland Park, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in geology. Early in his career, Arnie worked for his Dad building houses in the family business. He learned much of his knowledge from his fellow carpenters who were immigrants from Norway. Those early building experiences led to a lifelong hobby of working with wood and being able to build/fix whatever was needed.
Arnie and his family moved to Muskegon in 1971. Arnie was an amateur astronomer and built many of his own telescopes. He rebuilt and restored a 1970 MGB, along with an old wooden sailboat. He would read a book/manual and be able to tear anything apart and rebuild it, better than it was before. He and Geri designed their retirement home together. Arnie did all of the finishing woodwork in their home.
He loved the game of tennis and enjoyed playing with his tennis buddies. He played the game still at the age of 84 once a week. Most importantly he always had time, love and patience for his three sons - Jeff, Chris and Ken. Whether it was sports, helping them fix/build something, driving to the museums in Chicago, or family vacations. They all thought of Arnie as the “Best Dad Ever”.
Arnie is survived by his wife of 57 years, Geri, sons Jeffrey (Jennifer), Christopher (Laura) and Kenneth (Heather). Along with his grandchildren Shelby, Brooke, Jacob, Elizabeth, Cornelia, Julia, Victoria, Karlee, Maya, and great-grandchildren Michael and Violet.
We all miss him.
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