Patricia Sue Arndt

Patty Sue Arndt, 65, of Great Falls, a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died of pancreatic cancer Saturday, Dec. 24, at home.Memorial services are 10 a.m. Thursday at Hillcrest Lawn Memorial Chapel, followed by a reception at noon at the Horse Shoe Bar and Casino in Sun Prairie. Inurnment will be held in Mount Olivet Cemetery at a later date. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.Patty was born Sept. 5, 1946, in Great Falls, to Betty Waitt. She attended Great Falls High and later received a general education degree. She had a sharp business mind, which she implemented in a number of successful endeavors, including Great Falls Mini Maids and the Horse Shoe Casino. Patty married Terry Mehan in 1962. Her union with Terry produced three children, Terry Joe Mehan, Tammy (Mehan) Lesmeister and Andre Mehan.Patty was highly involved in the community, always organizing fundraisers for people who needed help. She also served on the Sun Prairie Village and Sewer District Board for more than 15 years. She was offered presidency of the board, but did not accept due to her illness. She was a member of the Sun River Valley Tavern Association, which implemented the secondary scholarship fund for young people who lived in the district. She brought her love of family into the Horse Shoe Bar, transforming it from a bar into a community place where people gathered for receptions, celebrations, fundraisers, etc. Favorite hobbies included softball and bowling; she was considered one of the top female bowlers in Great Falls.Patty lost a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer with her husband and two of her children around her. She is survived by her husband, Jim Arndt; daughters Tammy Lesmeister and husband Dennis and children Levi Dabler, Travis Dabler and Jeremy Lesmeister, Denise Arndt and her children Tracy and Megan, Kelly Arndt, and Jennifer Arndt and children Morgan, Caden and Lyra; special niece Renne Miller; sons Andre Mehan and his daughter Terran, Mark Arndt and wife Darcy and kids Amy, Rachel and Jacquelyn, Gary Arndt and wife Marci, Danny Arndt and wife Jeri and kids Kristina and Samantha; Billy Arndt and wife Joey, and son Dougy; granddaughter Trisca Mehan; grandsons Jacob Abbott and Branden Mehan; brothers Dan and Dennis Waitt; sister Annie Varney; and great-grandchildren Desi, Autumn, Serenity, Donovan, Cayden, Trenton, Kayli, Jeremiah, Elijah, Caleb, and Adeline and Allison.She was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Waitt; son Terry Joe Mehan; brother John Crunkleton; grandson Travis Arndt; and aunts Pat Larson, Loretta McKenzie and Ruth Kempa.