Jeffrey H. Arnold passed peacefully in his sleep in the early morning of June 9, 2023, at the age of 87.

He was born in 1936 in Forest Hills, New York and grew up in Coral Gables, Florida. One of his lifelong passions was tennis. As a teenager, Jeff was one of the top junior tennis players in the United States, achieving a ranking of 4th in the country. At Coral Gables High, he contributed a state (Florida) interscholastic singles title, a United States singles runner-up and a US doubles championship. As a teenager, he traveled by rail to various tennis tournaments along the East Coast and won the Canadian Boys Championship.

After graduating from Coral Gables High School in 1954 as Class Valedictorian, he attended Princeton University on a scholarship. Jeff continued playing tennis on the Princeton tennis team, participating in one Ivy League championship.

He met his wife-to-be, Paula, while teaching tennis during sophomore summer break at a beach club in Darien, CT after his freshman year at Princeton. He enjoyed recounting that meeting – his true love at first sight.

He graduated from Princeton in 1958, Cum Laude, with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. From there he started an engineering career at Pratt & Whitney in Hartford, CT, testing and developing "dependable jet engines", and later worked on a revolutionary concept of power generation (fuel cells) used by NASA and some of today's electric vehicles.

He and Paula settled in Glastonbury, CT. and raised their three children there – Linda in 1959, Chris in 1963, and Jeff in 1968. Jeff successfully managed his career, raising the family with Paula, and continuing his education taking night classes and earned his MBA from UConn in 1963.

Jeff continued to contribute to the sport of tennis by teaching juniors as a certified tennis professional in USPTA. In 1971 he founded the Glastonbury (indoor) Tennis Club. He continued to play for as long as he was physically able, and after that point he was an avid fan of the sport (and the Red Sox).

In 2016, Jeff and Paula moved to Chapin, SC. Being from the south originally this was an easy and familiar move for them. They have been very happy here and thankful for the welcoming nature of the community.

Jeff is survived by his wife Paula and his three children; Linda who lives in Thousand Oaks, CA with her husband John (2 grandsons and 3 great-grandsons); Chris who lives in El Paso, TX with his wife Mary (2 granddaughters and 2 grandsons); Jeffrey who lives here in Chapin SC with his wife Amy (2 granddaughters and 2 grandsons). Jeff and Paula would have been celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary September of this year.

Graveside services will be held Tuesday, June 13, 2023, 9:30 AM, at St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church Cemetery in Chapin by the Rev. Douglas Graul.

Memories and messages of condolence may be shared with the family here on his Tribute Wall.

Whitaker Funeral Home is honored to serve the Arnold family.