GARDEN CITY - James R. Arwine, 81, died Friday, December 15, 2023 at St. Catherine Hospital, Garden City, KS.He was born December 13, 1942 at Lawrence, KS, to James Martin and Helen Pauline Arwine.
A Garden City resident since 1947, Arwine graduated Garden City High School in 1961, attended Garden City Community College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Education from Southern Illinois University in 1976. He also received graduate-level credit at the University of South Carolina, Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, and Kansas State University
.On June 10, 1962, he married Doris M. Oliver at the Church of God in Garden City. He is survived by his wife, two sons, Alan T. Arwine of Lawrence (Christi Castleberry – friend), and Timothy J. Arwine, (Jumai Iwan – spouse), two grandchildren, TJ and Caiya Mai Arwine of Garden City; and three sisters, Janis B. Mastin, Garden City; Jowilla Couch, Scott City, and Joyce Triebold, Woodland Park, CO.
He was preceded in death by his parents and twin brothers, Jack and Joe.
Arwine was a U.S. Army 21-year active duty career soldier who served as a motion picture and still photographer, newspaper reporter, and as an infantry operations and intelligence NCO.
Arwine served in South Korea, Alaska, Germany and England, where he covered stories as a photographer, reporter and bureau chief for the European Stars and Stripes newspaper.
While in South Korea, he documented United Nations meetings between North and South Korea at the DMZ. In Alaska, he took part in training at temperatures of 64 degrees below zero. And later he toured the Berlin Wall with the Army’s Berlin Brigade.
His press pass opened many doors. He walked a golf course with comedian Bob Hope and talked backstage with cowboy star Roy Rogers and country greats Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty. He visited and wrote a story about the Cavern Club, in Liverpool, England, where the Beatles got their start.
A history buff, Arwine pondered the mysteries of ancient Stonehenge in England, visited Sulgrave Manor, the English ancestral home of President George Washington, and spent an afternoon at Stratford-on-Avon, the home of writer William Shakespeare.
After four years in Europe, he was assigned to the Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, Virginia. He gave guidance to newspaper editors at 25 U.S. Army bases in the United States. He also taught print journalism at the Defense Information School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana.
He was on the promotion list for Master Sergeant (E-8) when he retired in 1985.
He was awarded the Department of Defense Joint Service Commendation and the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal for exceptional service.
Arwine continued to serve his country and community as an American Legion officer and a volunteer for the Finney County Humane Society. He loved his country, his family, his pet dogs and classic country music.
Funeral Service will be at 2:00 PM Saturday at First Assembly of God Church in GardenCity with Rev Nathan Sheridan officiating. Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery in Garden City with full military honors by 1st Infantry Division Honor Guard of Fort Riley, Kansas. Friends may call from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM Friday with family present from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at Garnand Funeral Home. Memorials are suggested to Southwest Kansas Veterans Honor Guard in care of Garnand Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com