Arnon "Arnie" T. Gerard, a longtime resident of Marshfield, passed away peacefully on March 24, 2018, at the age of 86.

Beloved husband of the late Constance Gerard. Loving father to Susan McCabe and her husband Walter of Braintree, Lisa Gerard and her husband Bob Mulrey of Marshfield and Mark Gerard and his wife Kim of Marshfield. Very special grandfather to T. McCabe of Braintree, Jillian Gerard of Marshfield and Stephen, Matthew and Nicholas Gerard of Marshfield. He was the last of his generation, which always made him sad, as his three brothers (Jerry, David and his twin, Ronnie) all passed before him.

Known to his friends as Arnie, he grew up in Framingham and attended UMass until Uncle Sam decided it would be better for Arnie to serve his country in the Army rather than finish his degree in hotel management. He served as a cook with his brother Ronnie in Italy and swore two year old eggs were perfectly fine to use.

Arnie had a very strong work ethic, as evidenced by his successful efforts to transform a small, family turkey business in Marshfield from a summer-only establishment to a thriving, year-round enterprise, Gerard Farm. He was always looking for ways to improve the store and would quite often walk into a restaurant's kitchen to see what they were doing (whether he knew the chef or not). Since he was always working, even after he technically retired, he didn't have a lot of free time for hobbies but he did like to listen to books on audio, play solitaire on the computer, catch up with friends at Pizzings or cruise around town in his beloved convertible cadillac.

Arnie loved the open water. In his younger days, he was the captain of his own 33 foot boat, White Holland and truly enjoyed fishing. As time marched on and the kids grew up, he switched to a smaller boat that he could handle by himself. Eventually, he settled for a view of the water at Rexhame Beach and woke up each and every day to look out through his binoculars into the vast expanse of the Atlantic.  He also enjoyed vacationing with his family, whom he loved so dearly, anywhere near the ocean … the Bahamas, Aruba, Mexico and especially Pompano Beach, Fla. He cherished every minute of family fun time!

If you needed anything, Arnie was your man...From flipping pancakes at a Kiwanis breakfast to lending you his antique cars for a parade to loaning you money for a down payment for a house, he would help anyway he could. He might even give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Arnie served the community in a variety of ways. He was a member of Kiwanis Club and the Green Harbor Yacht Club (often donating food for their Kentucky Derby event). He fed the Fire Department on Thanksgiving Day and gave freely to Marshfield Community Christmas and the First Congregational Church of Marshfield. In his younger days, he was also a deputy sheriff for Plymouth County and drove a 'bus' for the only kindergarten in Marshfield. And luckily for everyone involved, he never mixed those two jobs up!

Arnie was a wonderful and generous man who will be deeply missed!

Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the MacDonald Funeral Home, 1755 Ocean Street (Ret. 139) in Marshfield. A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 29, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the First Congregational Church, 1981 Ocean Street, Marshfield. Burial with Military Honors will be in the Couch Cemetery.

Donations in his memory can be made to the Marshfield Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 1177, Marshfield, MA 02050.

For online guestbook and driving directions, please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com