Steve Arrowood

Steve Arrowood, 69, of Fulton, took his trip to glory on Friday, January 22, 2021, where he was greeted at God's gates by his dearly beloved daughter Lea Ann, his grandpa Vernon, his grandma Hattie, his mother Betty, his father Guy Washburn, his father-in-law Lem Grimm, and his brother-in-law Kelly. Steve leaves behind his soulmate and wife Marla, his son Ryan (Teresa), his granddaughters Konnor and Reagan, his sister Beth, half-brothers Roger and Charles Washburn, half-sister Lisa Washburn, step-mother Helen Washburn, sisters-in-law Gay (John) Castilow and Lisa (Jim) Clark, several nieces and nephews, his dog Murphy and a myriad of dear friends and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, too numerous to mention. Steve was born on September 20, 1951 in Marion, North Carolina. At or around the age of 12, he moved to Missouri with his sister and mother. He attended Williamsburg Middle School and graduated from Fulton High School in 1969. He took his first job at the age of 13, and spent the next 50 years working tirelessly and relentlessly to provide for his family until he retired in 2017. He went to work at Harbison Walker in 1969 as an equipment operator and remained there for 12 years. He took great pride and joy in his work as an operator and owned and operated his own excavating company for over 25 years before his retirement in 2017. He was an independent, kind, caring, honest, generous, plain spoken, stubborn, determined, self-made man, and remained that way till the Lord called him home. On May 23, 1970, he married the love of his life and soul mate Marla, and they began to build a life and family together that would span the next 50 plus years. On November 6, 1972 they were blessed their first child, Ryan and then on November 17, 1978 they were blessed with their second child Lea Ann. They spent the next 50 years loving, working, raising kids, laughing, crying, toiling, growing and praying together, side by side, hand in hand, heart to heart. There is little doubt that the Lord above made each of them specifically for the other. Through good times, bad times, the greatest joys, to the deepest sorrows, they remained faithfully devoted to God, to their family, and to one another. In 1976, Steve and Marla purchased their farm in Dark Hollow. He always took great pride in his farm, where it was located, and enjoyed few places on earth more than it. He was happy and proud to be called a farmer and enjoyed raising cows and pigs, and just driving around "his place". He was a devout coon hunter and loved to raise and hunt coon hounds. He and Duane Mahoney spent many nights wondering around the hills and hollers of his farm chasing tree dogs. He knew every den tree, ridge, hollow, draw and ditch on his place. He built his farm with his own two hands and you could frequently find him meandering up and down the county road with his faithful companion dog, Murphy. "just looking it over". One of his greatest joys was fishing. He was an avid fisherman. He would take any and every opportunity to fish. No matter how far, from Canada to Texas to South Carolina to Arkansas to Kansas to Florida to the creek or ponds on his farm, to the countless ponds and clay pits he had built over the years, he loved to spend time fishing, telling stories about fishing, or hearing about fishing. He was a true fisherman and like all true fishermen, could tell quite a story. He was a lover of all things John Wayne and Gunsmoke and had seen every western produced since moving pictures were invented, multiple times. He was a devoted St Louis Cardinals baseball fan and listened to or watched every game he could. He also was a Master Mason of Lodge No. 612 in Mokane. In 1984 Steve and Marla joined the Hams Prairie Christian Church. He dearly loved his church and his church family. Over the last 36 years he attended and raised his children and grandchildren in that church. In those 36 years he served as Chairman of the Board, served on the Deacon Board, served as an Elder, and taught Sunday School for over 20 years. He took great joy from serving the Lord and his church. He enjoyed helping others to come to know the Lord or to grow in their faith in the Lord. In 1996, at the urging of a dear family friend, Steve took a mission trip to Haiti with Charles Chatman Evangelistic Association. He was so moved and inspired by the Lord on this trip, that he would continue to serve in the mission field for the next 21 years. He embarked on over 30 mission trips to Haiti, Honduras, and Mexico, spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, building housing and medical facilities for the poor, establishing sustainable food operations, and assisting with whatever needs for those less fortunate until 2017. He likewise was a founding member of Global Compassions Ministry, whom to this day continues this mission work in multiple countries and continues to spread the ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Since 1999, upon the arrival of his first granddaughter Konnor, Steve's greatest joy was being a "Poppie". With the arrival of his second granddaughter, Reagan "the baby" in 2006, this just doubled his joy. There is nothing on this earth that brought him more pride or joy than his granddaughters. His greatest desire was to spend time with them, talk to them, watch them play sports, fish with them, or take them to lunch. No game was too far, time was too early or late, no weather too bad, or money too much for him to get to see or spend time with his girls. Never a day passed that he did not see, hear from or check on his girls. They were the sparkle in his eye and the joy in his heart and the thing that gave him the most pride and joy. Steve loved the Hams Prairie Store and the people there. He would frequently spend time there, telling stories, eating, drinking coffee, solving the world's problems, bragging about his granddaughters or talking about fishing. Few would enter or leave the doors of the store without a kind word or a smile from him. Steve Arrowood was a kind soul, that spent the entirety of his life in service to the Lord, his family, and those he loved and others. He was a blessing to all those that knew him. He lived a life that had a positive impact on so many that he had the opportunity to meet. The Lord blessed him in so many ways, he returned those blessings to so many others. He lived a life well lived and received his reward in glory, but he will be truly missed. We love you and will see you soon Steve, Dad, Poppie. A Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 28, 2021, at Hams Prairie Christian Church with Ron Jobe, Cody Allen, and Chris Gray officiating. Friends will be received from 2:00 p.m. until the time of service at the church. Memorial donations are suggested to Global Compassion Ministries, Hams Prairie Christian Church or Sustainable Food Production, c/o Maupin Funeral Home, 301 Douglas Boulevard, Fulton, MO 65251. Condolences may be left for the family at www.maupinfuneralhome.com.