Gregory Arntson

Gregory Arntson, age 76, of the Villages of Florida, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family on Monday, September 19th, 2022. He was born November 12th, 1945, in Lansing, Michigan, to the late, Arthur and Ester (Packer) Arntson. Gregory graduated from Everett high school with the class of 1964. It was during his school years that he was also known as "Greg the great". Gregory was a man of strong work ethics that led him to his career as an electrical contractor. For 22 years he owned and operated Capitol City Electric in down town Lansing, Michigan. His hobby, in those days was to purchase commercial properties, refurbish them, and rent them out to various companies. He also owned a good many residential properties for a number of years where he would buy, refurbish, and then rent or sell them. He always seemed to have a vision, and to him every building whether it be commercial or residential, had potential. On September 13th, 1987, Gregory met the love of his life, Elizabeth Ellen Arntson. They were married on September 13th, of 1993 in Maui Hawaii. Greg's more recent hobbies included golf with friends and family in the Villages and one of his favorite things to do was to put up thousands of outdoor lights at Christmas. Greg had a great sense of adventure and loved to travel. In 2004 he and Elizabeth took a trip to Europe for 3 weeks visiting 5 different countries. Using the euro train they toured castles in Germany, visited the Vatican in Rome, hiked in Switzerland, attended a Mozart concert in Austria, and hiked in France. After returning to the states Greg began talking of traveling the US by motor home. His dream was to visit all of the National parks. And so, it began in 2018, for the next 5 years they traveled the entire country covering as many NP's as possible each year. Leaving the 1st of May and returning to Florida the 1st of November each year they experienced the US up close and personal. Adventure at its best! From zip lining in the royal gorge to eating lobster in Acadia NP it was a little piece of heaven for these two. Of course, there were a few bumps and bruises along the way. Two people living in a 450 sq ft space for 6 months at a time can sometimes be a challenge, but that sense of freedom that came along with this experience was well worth it. Gregory looked forward each year to a weeklong annual summer family gathering in Harbor Springs. This has been taking place for over 40 years at Harbor Cove condos. There can be as many as 75 people who have come to enjoy this annual gathering. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth; children, Brian Arntson, Tiffani Isham, and Matthew Marple; grandchildren, Virginia Isham, Gage Marple, and Hailey Marple; brothers, Gary (Sue) and Mike (Jane) Arntson; sister, Marsha Kemp Brandell; brother-in-law, Terry (Karen) O'Dell; and several nieces, nephews, and many friends from all over the country. Greg was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Charnelle Arntson; sister, Jeannette Everts; brother, Stanley (Beverly) Arntson; brother-in-law, Gary Brandell. A celebration of life will take place on Sunday, May 28, 2023, between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 7600 North Scott Road, St. Johns, MI 48879. Greg was always the life of the party so please come and celebrate his life with drinks, food, family, friends, and amazing memories; the pool will be open so feel free to bring your suit and towel! A special thanks to Terry and Karen O'Dell for opening their home to Greg and Elizabeth throughout Greg's illness and to their children and grandchildren for the care and support throughout this difficult time. Greg's family would like to extend a special thank you to the wonderful staff at West Michigan Hospice and ask that those of you looking to do something special in Gregory's memory, to make a donation to West Michigan Hospice. Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, 616-452-3006. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Gregory Arntson, please visit our flower store.