John Edman Arnett was born June 13, 1952 in the university town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Small and frail from birth he nonetheless was ever cheerful.
As a child in Pittsburgh he spent weeks each year at Children’s Hospital, sometimes ill, but more often being tested and studied by pediatric endocrinologist, a rarity at the time. It was hard but his younger sister affectionately claimed he lived happily on John Planet, a world of imaginative ideas and creations. At Hiram College he studied theater stagecraft, a passion he pursued all his life. His bicycle was his transportation, even on the steep hills of Pittsburgh and later in California where again he rode miles to work. At age 40 he finally bought a car and years later he came to Hendersonville, continuing his business, Artiscapes; for a time teaching at BRCC’s theater department, and frequently designing sets for Hendersonville Community Theater.
John outlived his father, Will, and his sisters, Lesley and Susan. His brother Nick, his nephew, James and niece, Heather and their families, his mother, Pat, and his many friends rejoice that he lived as long as he did and brought joy to their lives with his gentle kindness and sense of beauty.