John Kurt Arseneault

It is with great sadness that the family of John Kurt Arseneault, age 72, of Kentville, announce his sudden passing on Sunday, November 2, 2014, at home.  Beloved husband of 51 years of Ann (Stevens), he was a proud dad to Gale (Less Doyle), Dartmouth and Dawn, Calgary, and brother-in-law to Barbara (Stevens) and Bill Harri, Kentville (formerly of Thunder Bay). Born in Joggins, he was the treasured son of Edward and Marjorie (White) Arseneault, Dartmouth. Kurt was predeceased by his parents, as well as parents-in-law, Herbert Donald and Bertha Lillian Stevens, Musquodoboit Harbour and sister-in-law, Shirley (Williams) Barber, Dartmouth. Kurt was a lifelong avid musician, playing in many bands at all stages of his life. He studied electronics at the Canadian Forces School of Communication and Electronics and served for 20 years as a Radar Technician in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Upon his retirement from the military, he was the Chief Engineer for CHNS/CHFX radio in Halifax from 1981 to 1997, when he and Ann moved to Murphy Lake near Kentville. Kurt translated his expertise in electronics into yet another career in semi-retirement when he worked as a part-time technician for the Broadcast Arts Program at Kingstec Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College until 2006. He particularly loved this job because he could interact with all the young people at the college. Kurt and Ann spent the past several winters thoroughly loving their well-earned retired life of golfing, birding, painting, jamming, two-stepping and enjoying the company of many wonderful old and new friends in Mission, Texas. While home at Murphy Lake, Kurt could be found on any given day puttering around in his workshop, gardening, flying RC airplanes with the Wings of Wellington flying club, operating his ham radio (VE1TT), attending weekly breakfast meetings with fellow "hams" and visiting throughout the Valley. He will be sorrowfully missed as a generous and loving husband, father, brother-in-law, uncle and friend. Kurt loved nothing more than sharing a smile, joke or teasing comment with those he loved best and his friends and neighbors. Cremation has taken place. There will be no visitation, by request. We invite all who knew and loved Kurt to join us for a celebration of his life to be held at the chapel of White Family Funeral Home, 100 Cornwallis Street, Kentville on Thursday, November 6 at 11:00 am. Father John MacPherson will preside. A reception will immediately follow the service. Interment will take place at Dartmouth Memorial Gardens, 767 Main Street, Dartmouth on Friday, November 7 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust (www.nsnt.ca). Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the White Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Kentville.