LEONDARD V. ARENDS

Leonard V. Arends
June 7, 1926 – April 22, 2026
   Tulare has lost a native son.  Leonard Arends died in his own bed in his own home on the same acre of land where he was born almost 100 years ago, delivered by his father, on land that had been in the family since 1917.  Leonard was the son of H.A. and Pearl Arends.  He was married to Neva Martindale Arends for 62 years, and is survived by their three children: Lynn Curtis of Beaverton, Oregon, Patricia Estes of Placerville, and Bill Arends of Tulare, as well as five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, two great great grandchildren, plus a host of nieces, nephews and other extended family.

  Leonard served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during WWII.  When he returned he worked in the family business, Arends Electric, for years. Family was important to Leonard. His maternal grandparents, Charles and Rosetta McKeen, moved to Tulare from North Dakota and bought 20 acres of land in 1917.  Multiple other relatives also came west to make Tulare their home over the years, including Leonard’s parents who bought part of that original 20 acre lot around 1923. Both H.A. and Pearl were from big families.  Two of H.A.’s brothers married two of Pearl’s sisters, so the family eventually included a number of double cousins.

   Living for almost a century comes at a price. Over those years Leonard lost all seven of his siblings, starting with two brothers who died in WWII. He lost his wife Neva in 2011. He lost a grandson, countless aunts and uncles, cousins and lifelong friends. He was the last of his generation of the immediate family left in Tulare.

  Yet he always remained a strong, warm, fun-loving goofy man, a favorite of all the kids in the family. Leonard threw himself wholeheartedly into whatever interested him; from wood carving, archery (he made his own bows) and raising parakeets in his younger years to photography, oil painting, panning for gold and patronizing yard sales in later years. He continued his wood carving throughout and it eventually became a vocation.  Leonard sold his carved wood knots in shops and at craft fairs throughout the state.

  He always loved games of skill and was very competitive. If anyone was outside pitching horseshoes, throwing “flying saucers” (earlier versions of Frisbees), tossing bean bags at targets, shooting baskets, golfing or anything else he was right in the thick of it. Pictured is the day he beat a pack of his grandkids at bowling. He loved to stay active, and remained that way all of his life until he fell and broke a hip in 2023 and gradually declined.  Even then he was always ready with a joke. Fortunately, Leonard’s son Bill and his wife Tonya lived right next door and were able to keep him in his own home, enjoying phone calls and visits from other family and friends and watching his westerns on TV.

  Leonard always hated to throw anything away, wore his “dress shirt” from high school to the end of his days. They don’t make shirts, or men, like that anymore. As a nod to his thrift and his sense of humor the family decided to bury him in that shirt.

  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the charity of your choice. Or better yet, pay a visit to an older member of your family and ask them questions about your family history. Write the answers down. Also, if you have family photos, write the names of those pictured somewhere. You won’t be able to do this forever. Later family may bless you for it.  Our thanks to the Genealogy section of the Tulare Library for helping us fill in some of our gaps.

   Graveside services will be held on Monday, May 18th at 10 am, at Tulare District Cemetery, 900 E. Kern Avenue.