Arne R. Garde died peacefully on January 29, 2012, at the Andover Retirement Home in Andover, Ohio. He had been ill for an extended time.
Arne was born on August 16, 1952, in Bridgeport, Conn., to the late Erik C. and Elizabeth (Nielsen) Garde. He graduated from Central High School and began his own printing company. He then went on to do security work for a local security company and Park City Hospital. He was a Boy Scout Troop leader, starting in scouting at age 11 and working his way up to Scout Master in his twenties.
His hobby was being a model railroad enthusiast, and he was well-known for the extensive collection he collected over 45 years.
He was also well-known for his knowledge of the Civil War, and he would read everything he could about it. He and his friend, Chip, would spend countless hours painting miniature solders and setting up battle recreations of famous battles from the Civil War. There were two rooms in his parent’s basement totally dedicated to model railroading and Civil War reenactments. You would have to crawl under the tables and come up through holes that were cut out for someone to be able to access everything.
Being a well-respected expert on the Civil War, he wrote several articles for a Civil War magazine. He attended several reenactments done live in actual settings where the battles happened during the war.
Arne is survived by his brothers Kenneth and his wife, Nina, of Tisbury and Brian of Oak Bluffs. In addition he has six nephews and nieces, Adam, Rebecca, Kaleb, Jared, Hannah, and Daniel. There will be a Memorial Service in Connecticut where he will be laid to rest with his parents in April, to be announced at a later date.
