Born in Amherst, NS, Arnold was the son of the late Chester Lewis and Ruby (Graves). In High School, he was active in all sports but excelled in track. He set at least one High School running record that still stands today. Considering todays "College Scholarship" requirements, Arnold's running ability would (today) almost certainly have earned him admittance to many US colleges.
                    Arnie joined the RCN as a Cadet in 1954 through the "Venture Plan" and graduated 2 years later, a member of the first ever class of Canadian Naval Officers to be trained entirely in North America. His running ability served him well when he played Soccer and again when we would run the 3.7 mile Cross Country Course at Royal Roads. (Here. .....many of us only ever got to see the back of his head, ....and that not for very long).
                    Arnie did not go to the US Naval Air Training Station at Pensacola, as did the majority of the "Air" Cadets from Venture. Instead, he (along with Phil Blanchard, Bob Ferguson and Bob Lancashire) were sent for their basic training to the RCAF. After he completed RCAF training to "Wings Standard", he was appointed to Shearwater.
                    Right around this time,  ....the Canadian Navy started looking around for bright young pilots to convert from Fixed Wing to Rotary Wing Flying, .....in  order to man the recently purchased  Sikorski, CHSS-2, "Sea King" helicopter. Well, ....the temptation was far too much for him to resist. Arnie converted to rotary wing flying in HU-21 Squadron at Shearwater.
                    One of the many highlights in Arnie's flying career (June 1961- to December 1963) saw him (and another Venture Classmate John MacDermott) .....appointed, on loan, to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, .....specifically  to 815 Squadron, the Royal Navy's first operational Wessex 1 Squadron.  While serving with 815 Squadron, they both spent a lot of time at sea in HMS Arc Royal.  In 1963, they were both appointed, as Flight Instructors, to 737 Squadron which was the Operational Training Unit for the Wessex Squadrons. For some strange reason, Arnie and John were known throughout the Fleet Air Arm as, ..."those crazy colonials".
                    Sometime in 1969, while he was serving as the Helicopter Detachment Commander in HMCS Assiniboine, "his boys" noticed (according to his logbook) that Arnie had amassed over 3600 flying hours, .....(easily done in fixed wing aircraft, but, not so easily done in helicopters). Generous to a fault, as always, the Navy made him a cake, .....which we all enjoyed.
                    After leaving the RCN, Arnie joined the Canadian Coast Guard where he continued flying, mostly in the north. All-in-all, Arnie flew helicopters for 37 years. After retiring from the Canadian Coast Guard, Arnie kept active as a member of the Dartmouth Curling Club and The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 031.
                    Surviving Arnie are his daughters Chrystal Ann Lewis (Steve), Ottawa, ON; Dawn Angela Lewis (Chris), Mississauga, ON; Son Alan Edward Lewis, Dartmouth; Sister Gwen Davis (Edwin) ON; and, ....grandchildren; Christian Lewis Hills and Joshua Carl Hills.
                    Visitation and Funeral Service took place in Dartmouth on 16 December 2006. Immediately after the service, Arnie was driven to Amherst, NS,  for burial in the Amherst Cemetery that afternoon.