Arnold William "Bill" Arends died Sunday, September 16, 2007, at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. He was born October 24, 1921, in Sunnyside, WA to Arnold D. Arends and Jantina Bierling Arends. Bill lived a long, hard-working, hard-playing life. In his early boyhood, the beach in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, WA was his favorite playground. The Arends family bought a bakery in Prosser, WA in 1936. When Bill reached the age of 16, he went to work full time in the family bakery business. By the time he was 18, he was an accomplished baker; working in the trade most of his life. In 1948, he purchased the bakery, which was sold in 1959. He married Myrtle Hill of Sunnyside, WA in 1943. This union was blessed with three children, Irene, A. Richard Arends, and Carl W. Arends. Bill was also blessed with five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Bill was a member of the Christian Reformed Church, but transferred his membership to the Free Methodist Church in 1969, where he served his Lord as an usher, board member and many years in the choirs. For a few years, the Arends owned an apple orchard in the Entiat Valley, but moved in 1973, to Orange, CA, where Bill worked and managed several in-store bakeries. When he retired, he worked as one of the steam train engineers at Disneyland, which were probably his happiest working years. After Myrtle retired, the couple continued their activities in their church and spent a few months each year working as volunteers in State and County Parks, returning to Wenatchee in 1999. They continued volunteering until just two years ago, when tired hearts forced them into permanent retirement. They celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary in July of this year. Bill was an avid baseball fan and enjoyed many hobbies, including woodworking, gardening, baking and model trains. Bill loved boating and spending time on the water with family and friends. In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by two sisters, Ida and Angeline, and brother, Dick Arends; as well as many nephews and nieces. Bill was preceded in death by sisters, Reka Ramerman, Jeanette Spradlin and Marie Arends. A Celebration of Bill's Life will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2007, at the Free Methodist Church in Sunnyside, WA at 2:00 p.m.