COURTESY
NEWPORT — Arnold Thomas Greenleaf, 91, of Newport passed away at his home on Jan. 8, 2019 surrounded by loved ones, after a long and valiant battle with Alzheimer’s.
He was born on April 26, 1927 in Newport, the son of Howard and Lillian (Clukey) Greenleaf.
A Navy veteran of World War II, he joined the U.S. Navy in May 1944. He served in the Pacific Theatre on board the destroyer, USS Cushing-DD-797 with both Admiral Halsey’s Third and Admiral Spruance’s Fifth fleets. The ship was involved in the invasions of the Philippines, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and finally the occupation of Japan, once it surrendered.
After returning home he joined the local (Newport) National Guard unit, the 195th R.C.T. Heavy Weapons Co. and served for three years. He was a strong supporter of the veterans, thus a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), the American Legion, U.S. Navy League, as well as a member of the Tin Can Sailors Association and the USS Cushing Association. He was a longtime law enforcement officer, working for the Newport Police Department for 13 years. He then went to the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy for six years and then running for county sheriff for another six years. He retired from law enforcement in December 1994. During those ensuing years he also served as a selectman for the Town of Newport for almost 10 years.
He was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Virginia (Burnell) Greenleaf, in December 2014.
He is survived by his son, Arnold L. Greenleaf of Claremont, and his daughter, Victoria Duffy and her husband John, of Stratham; two grandchildren, Elisha Greenleaf of Phoenix, Arizona, Jeffrey Hanson of Rochester; and three great grandchildren. He also has two surviving siblings, a sister Maxine Guimond of Newport and a brother, Howard S. Greenleaf of Derry.
Visitation will be held at the Newton-Bartlett Funeral Home in Newport on Monday, Jan. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. with a memorial service with military honors starting promptly at 7:30 p.m.. Burial will be on June 28 at Pine Grove Cemetery, to commemorate what would have been Arnold and Virginia’s 72nd wedding anniversary where they will be buried together.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial contributions be made to a charity of your choice.
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