| Christopher Roger Arnoldy
AMHERST - Christopher Roger Arnoldy, “Chris”, passed on to everlasting life with God the Father on June 4th, 2024, following a seven month battle against a rare and aggressive t-cell lymphoma. He was surrounded by family and friends at the Community Hospice House in Merrimack, NH, and had spent his last weekend awake and aware and responding to all of the loved ones who came from far and wide to visit.
Chris was born on May 5th, 1970, in Dover, NH, son of Roger and Marian Arnoldy (Schumacher) and brother to five siblings. He attended local public schools until transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas High School and spent part of his childhood and teen years writing computer games and other coding projects on ancient-now but revolutionary-then TRS-80 computers. It was a passion which would lead to his career in programming. He graduated from UNH and it was while a student there that he met future brother-in-law Chris Whorf and had the sorts of college hi-jinx that are still providing stories for their families and friends. After a series of jobs and moves across the state, he settled in Amherst in 1998, building a beautiful home there after an employer was purchased by another company and his father told him, “I never regretted buying the house,” when asked for advice about his sudden windfall.
That house is where he brought then-girlfriend Andrea for a second date home-cooked meal of chicken florentine. Despite a tour of the house which included a room devoid of anything save a box of knives he claimed needed to be sent off for sharpening, she decided to stick around. The cooking was worth the risk. Nearly twenty years later, and even with the hardship of these past months, she repeatedly told him that she would do it all over again.
Married in 2007, they welcomed twin sons in 2009. Thomas and Samuel were the absolute joys of his life and he was an exemplary husband and father. He never shied away from a dirty diaper, and was awake for each middle-of-the-night feeding; changing the boys, preparing the bottles, and then helping to rock and feed with his still-recovering wife. A position at Broadcom required some travel to China, but his lengthy and amusing letters kept him close to their hearts. His later jobs, including the most recent at AMD, allowed for almost total work-from-home, and he loved the extra time with his family; playing games, mountain biking, hiking, and simply being present. His wry sense of humor, quiet strength, and excellent cooking skills kept everyone fed, body and soul.
He was so proud of Tom’s running prowess on the Amherst Middle School XC and Track and Field teams, and had been looking forward to seeing where running at SHS would take him. He was equally interested in Sam’s talent for dance - ballet, modern, and jazz - and never missed a performance or a chance to encourage him. Meanwhile, he was also one hundred percent supportive of his wife’s choice to stay home with the boys, and was enthusiastic about every one of her creative ventures, even when they led to frequent trips to the craft stores or Lowes, and subsequent inflated credit card bills! His own interest in music led to certain stereo equipment purchases which perhaps made them even.
He loved his extended family as well, hosting “Arnoldy-fest” several times a year and reveling in the companionship of his siblings and their families. His wife’s sister, Emily Ostermiller and her family, as well as his in-laws Jay and Vivian Dunham, were also frequent guests - and hosts, living nearby in NH - and he loved being around them and was cherished by all of them.
A lover of nature and gardening, Chris spent many hours out in the back yard with his family. He would put on some music, grab a cold drink, and just sit in the peaceful surroundings watching the little piece of paradise he had worked so hard to provide for everyone. He will be missed beyond measure by all who knew and loved him. Predeceased by his parents, he is survived by his loving wife, Andrea (Dunham), sons Sam and Tom, siblings Peter, Julie Lynch, Dan, Maria Whorf, and Ben, and their spouses, Sandy, Kevin, Jayne, Chris, and Jacqueline. Additionally, he leaves many nieces and nephews, in-laws, and dear lifelong friends.
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