Barbara J. Arnold

Barbara Janet Arnold, age 91, of Boxley, Indiana, passed away on Wednesday afternoon, August 7, 2024, at the Waters of Greencastle, Indiana.  Born February 25, 1933, in Bloomington, Indiana, she was the daughter of the late Guy and Merle (Burns) Brummett. 

Barbara and her husband Norman lived on the outskirts of Boxley, on the first set (or second set, depending on your direction of travel) of the Boxley curves.  They lived in a nondescript ranch house that sat upon a small hill, behind which was a little acreage hidden by a (purposely) overgrown fence row. It was this property that would act as the home base for her decades-long career as a professional photographer.  During her younger years, Barbara worked as a payroll specialist while living in Indianapolis.  While the income was steady, her heart just wasn’t in it.  She soon came to find her passion behind the lens of a camera and never looked back.  Her vast career as a local photographer gave her the opportunity to do a little bit of everything during her career.  For many years, she was the staff photographer for the Sheridan News, taking pictures of anything and everything around the area (newsworthy at the time, or not).  During her career she captured it all: the highs, the lows, and the unscripted moments in time, adding to the visual history of the place we call home.  Barbara was also the unofficial town photographer, taking sports pictures, senior pictures, family portraits and beyond.  While many of the sports and team pictures were taken at the park or at the school, her home in Boxley served as the backdrop for her senior and family photo studio.  She had her own country oasis tucked away behind the overgrown fence rows, allowing her to create special moments for her clients long before destination and specialty photo shoots became the norm.  Barbara believed that everybody deserved quality pictures; no one in our community went without pictures if Barbara had her way.  If the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds true, there is no way to calculate Barbara Arnold’s contribution to our community’s shared history. From countless library and newspaper archives, fireplace mantles, and stairway walls, to old shoe boxes full of memories on the upper shelf of closets in parts unknown, there is a small piece of Barbara, helping us remember the past, just as she saw it.   

Her years as a photographer helped expose her to a world that many people never get a chance to experience during their lifetime.  She had a deep appreciation for the arts (in all its wonderful forms), as well as the many different cultures that make us who we are.  Barbara believed in the importance of reading, learning about different cultures, and exploring the world around you (both past and present).  She loved teaching her nieces and nephews to appreciate the finer aspects of society, taking them on museum trips, exposing them to different facets of art and culture, and of course, no excursion is complete without a little bit of fine dining.  While it may not have been everyone’s cup of tea at the time, Aunt Barbara made sure you both knew these things existed and appreciated them for they might mean to someone else.

She always enjoyed volunteering her time at the Children’s Museum whenever she had the chance. She also enjoyed boating and being out on the water.

Barbara loved her family very much.  Although she and Norman never had any children of their own, their nieces and nephews were their children by proxy.  She was their “2nd mother” and she loved them with all her heart.  She and Norman were also a dedicated animal rescue family; through the years, many animals found their forever home with the Arnolds.  In her later years, one of Barbara’s last rescues was her St. Bernard, Bonnie Lassie, who became her best friend and loyal companion.

Barbara is survived by her nieces, Rebecca Owsley of Au Gres, Michigan, and Stephanie Weekly (James Sircy) of Cloverdale; and her nephew, Mark Williams (Judy) of Indianapolis.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Guy and Merle (Burns) Brummett; her sister, Janice L. Williams; Norman’s Great Dane, Boomer; her St. Bernard and Canine BFF, Bonnie Lassie; and by her husband, Norman Charles Arnold on September 21, 2009.  She and Norman were married on August 17, 1968.

A private family service is being planned.

Barbara will be laid to rest at Boxley Cemetery in Boxley, Indiana.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Kercheval Funeral Home in Sheridan, Indiana.