Allen Lester Arnold

Our beloved Allen L. Arnold went to be with his Lord and Savior on Friday, February 20, 2026, in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 75. He was a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, and he will be dearly missed.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 28, at First United Methodist Church in Decatur, Texas.

Born on June 10, 1950 to Melvin (Lefty) William and Bonnie Mae (McDonald) Arnold in Wewoka, Oklahoma, he was the youngest of three, born after his sister Sharon and brother Bill. The family moved to Denver City, Texas, when Allen was four. He went to school in Denver City all twelve years and attended the First Baptist Church where he accepted Jesus Christ as his savior on March 19, 1967. He graduated from Denver City High School in 1968. At DCHS he played center on the football team and was a unanimous choice for center on the 2A All State high school football team. He was selected to play in the North South All-State football game in the summer of 1968. He was also elected junior class favorite and fire chief.

He won a full football scholarship to Rice University where he played until a knee injury ended his football career. He graduated from Rice in May 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business.

While a student in Denver City, he met Connie Townes and on May 14, 1972, six years after their first date and just four days after his college graduation, they were married in the chapel on the campus of Rice University in Houston. They were just a few months shy of their 54th wedding anniversary at the time of his death.

Allen was a man of many talents and interests with an entrepreneurial spirit that led him to success in several different fields. He began his professional career at Houston Title, and then went to work for Valley Savings and Loan in New Mexico, which took the family to Lovington, Hobbs, and finally to Artesia. Their daughter Nancy Lea was born in Hobbs in 1976. He next worked at First Federal Bank in Seminole, Texas; their son Lane was born in Hobbs in 1980 while they lived in Seminole. Over the years Allen earned two MBA degrees in mortgage banking, one from Rutgers University in New York and the other from Stonier School of Banking (now Wharton) in Chicago.

In 1983 Allen moved his family to Plano, Texas, and founded OUI Operating Co. and spent the next few years as an independent oil and gas operator. The family moved to Decatur, Texas, in 1989 where he eventually went into home construction and started NL Custom Homes LLC and Corridor Homes LLC.

After retiring from his construction business, Allen and Connie lived briefly in San Angelo, Waco, and Austin before returning home to Decatur in July 2022.

He loved hunting and fishing and watching football on television. An avid reader and a lover of history, he studied World War II, becoming quite an expert on that chapter in American history. He loved western movies and John Wayne. He was not one to put on airs; what you saw was what you got. He was funny, he was outspoken, and he was loved.

Allen leaves behind a loving family who will treasure countless precious memories of him. Survivors include his beloved wife of 53 years, Connie, his daughter Nancy, both of Decatur, and his son Lane and wife Lolly, and their sons, Henry and William, his cherished grandsons, all of Austin. He is also survived by his Arnold nieces and nephews: Robin Hegemier (Tom) of Dripping Springs and their sons Bryce and Trent; Grayson Wilson of Bulverde and his daughter Britney; Shauna K. Maldonado (Eliot F.) of Bulverde and their son Shane; Kimberlee Matthews of Houston and her children Tiffany, Ashlee, and Taylor (Regina); Camille Ramirez (Rey) of Cypress and their daughters Cailey (Chad) and Paisley, and six great-great nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Laura Townes Velez of Austin and his Townes nephews: John Greene (Rachel) of Richmond, TX, and their sons Jack and Roy; Bert Greene (Lara) of Austin and their children Olivia and Sean; and Ben Greene (Jacy) of Childress, TX, and their children Avery, Marin, Austin, and Karis.

Allen is also survived by his Rice University teammates, classmates, and Full Moon buddies who loved him like a brother and he them.

And last but certainly not least, he is survived by his faithful and adoring little dog Mister, who loved him fiercely and unconditionally for the last thirteen years of his life.

Allen was preceded in death by his parents William (Lefty) and Bonnie Arnold, brother Bill Arnold, sister Sharon Wilson, brother-in-law Victor Wilson, and his parents-in-law Vernon and Billye Jean Townes, who truly, truly loved him as their son.

Those wishing to honor Allen's memory are asked to donate to the Robert “Treb”McKinnon Scholarship Foundation at Texas Bank in Decatur, 1-940-305-2028, texasbank.com.

“By God, Woodrow, it’s been one hell of a party.”—Augustus McCrae, Lonesome Dove