"Arnie" Obituary (1933 - 2021)

Arnold Leroy "Arnie" Charron, 87, of Lincoln passed away on Thursday, November 25, 2021 at his home surrounded by family. Arnie was born on December 9, 1933 in Lawndale, IL the son of Edward and Dorothy "Marie" (Huskins) Charron. He married Donna Lee Carr on April 4, 1954; she preceded him in death on August 24, 2004. Surviving Arnie is his daughter, Lori Bleess of Lincoln; three sons; Terry (Clara) Charron, Rick (Carol) Charron and Steven (Laura) Charron all of Lincoln; one sister, Janet Woody of Brookfield, MO; ten grandchildren and twenty great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters; Elsie Mileham and Wanda Langley; three brothers; Wayne Charron, Vernon Charron and Thomas Charron. Arnie worked at Stetson China, the bottle factory and AutoElectric. He owned and operated Logan County Radiator from 1972 to 1985. Arnie was the master of the torch when it came to repairing radiators. He taught many his craft, and they went on to have their own radiator shops including his son Rick. He taught auto mechanics for Lincoln College and for McMurry College at Logan Correctional Center from 1985 to 1995. Arnie was a twenty-five year member of Lincoln Masonic Lodge #210, where he held the offices of Tyler and Marshal. He raced at the original Lincoln Speedway in the 1950's and 1960's. He was a big fan of auto racing, he liked NASCAR, but especially liked going to Lincoln Speedway to watch his grandson Austin run the #83 modified. He had a Red 1955 Thunderbird that was his baby. He was a member of the Railsplitter Antique Car Club. Surely, a lot of you have seen him driving around town in the red T-bird. Services for Arnie will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, December 2, 2021 at Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home in Lincoln, IL with Henry Johnson officiating. A Masonic service will be held prior to the funeral service. Visitation will take place from 9:00-11:00 A.M. on Thursday, prior to services. Burial will follow the services at Irish Grove Cemetery in Middletown, IL. Memorial donations may be made in Arnie's name to Wounded Warriors Project or Memorial Home Hospice.