URBANA - Arnold William Dipert passed away Saturday (Dec. 23, 2017) at home surrounded by family. He was 85.

Arnold is survived by his wife of 37 years, Shirley (Wetherald) Dipert; daughters Joanne (John) Foster of Florida and Marianne (David) Thomas of Round Rock, Texas; step-daughters Lori (Jason) Mears of Roscoe Illinois and Lisa (David) Salazar of Dancono Colorado; granddaughters Theresa Foster, Melissa Thomas, Brooklyn Mears, Emily Salazar, Elizabeth Salazar and Lexi Smith; grandsons Matthew Foster, Patrick Foster, Caiden Smith, Kyler Mears and Carmine Salazar.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Ruth (Wallskog) Dipert, sister Arlene (Dipert) Affel and infant daughter Kirby Dipert.

Born December 22, 1932, in Grovertown, Indiana, Arnold was raised in Grovertown, and Chicago. He graduated from Hyde Park High School (now Hyde Park Career Academy High School) in 1950.

Arnold studied pre-engineering at Chicago City Jr. College, before entering the University of Illinois in 1952. In 1955, he joined the US Army. Arnold returned to the University of Illinois in 1957 earning his BS of Electrical Engineering in 1958. He went on to graduate school and received his MS in 1960 and his PhD in 1965, all in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of several honor societies including Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, and Tau Beta Pi.

Arnold became an instructor in the Electrical Engineering Department in 1960. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1965 Arnold was promoted to Assistant Professor and later to Associate Professor. In 1987 he was appointed Assistant Head of the Department.

He sat on several Department Committees including Curriculum, Student Records, Readmission and Petition Chair. He was on several College committees: Affirmative Action Liaison, Community College Liaison, Registration and Student Advisement, Student Records and Petition, Admissions. University Committee: Senate Committee on Student Discipline. Arnold was a long time adviser to Eta Kappa Nu, and served as the faculty representative to the departmental alumni group. He also served as a representative to the University Senate.

Arnold retired from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in 1992. He couldn't imagine spending his life fishing or playing golf so he entered the U of I Law School. At the age of 61, he was the oldest student to ever attend the Law School. He graduated in 1995, and passed the bar the same year. He practiced law in C-U in 1995. He moved to the Danville Public Defender's Office where he practiced from November 1995 thru December 2000. In December 2000, he moved to the Danville State Attorney Office where he practiced for eight years. He retired for the second and final time, in 2008.

In 1957, Arnold married Phyllis Gray in Monterey California. They separated in 1976 and divorced in 1977. They had three children, Joanne, Kirby, and Marianne. In 1981, Arnold married Shirley (Wetherald) Lockard, adding two step-daughters, Lori and Lisa to the family.

Arnold was an avid supporter of Illinois sports. He held season tickets to Illini football for over 20 years and basketball for over 30 years.

In 2012, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's. A visitation will be held from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., Thursday, December 28, 2017 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel & Crematory, 1900 S. Philo Rd., Urbana. Funeral services will be held immediately following the visitation at 11:00 a.m., at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Urbana.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials may be given to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Condolences may be offered online at www.renner-wikoffchapel.com.