Ancestral History: Life Sketch of Arnold Albert Isham

(Arnold age 3, 1923)

Arnold Albert Isham (my Grandfather) was born on September 8^th, 1923 in Bloomington, Minnesota. He was born into the home of George Isham and Gunda Brandon Isham. He was the first born of his family and later would be an older brother to two other children. His two other siblings Vernon Robert Isham (born 19 Jan 1928) and Margaret Louise Isham (born 29 Aug 1929). Both of his siblings are still living. Arnold spent most of his childhood years raised on a farm near Cumberland, Wisconsin.

Arnold Albert Isham enlisted in the US Navy on May 28, 1941 at the age of 17.  He was honorably discharged from the Navy on March 17, 1945.  While in the Navy he served as an AMM2C (AVIATION MACHINISTS'S MATE--Maintains and repairs aircraft engines, propellers, fuel systems, brakes, hydraulic system, gears, starters. Operates machine shop tools.) 

He was a gunner in Navy Torpedo Bombers and served aboard the aircraft carriers, USS Enterprise and USS Lexington.  He received two purple hearts for injuries received in military action.  He also served as a flight engineer aboard B-17 bombers during the war.

After World War II he was given an opportunity to become an airline pilot and turned it down in order to race cars in California.  He raced on dirt tracks in sprint cars, midget cars and stock cars.  Even though he never won any important races, he did come to know many racers who become famous as race car drivers and owners.  Some of their names were A.J. Foyt, Al & Bobby Unser and J.C. Agajanian.

He also loved flying and actually owned three different Cessna’s during the 1970’s.

He lived in Barron County, Wisconsin as a youth, Inglewood, California, Sioux City, Iowa, St. Louis Park, Minnesota, back to Barron County, Wisconsin, Mesa, Arizona and then the final years of his life in Cumberland, Barron County, Wisconsin.

He was married to three different women in his life.  His first wife’s name was Elsie (they had three children together: James A. Behne, Michael Behne and Patricia Anne Behne), his second wife’s name who is my Grandmother and Nana was LuCille M. Plasschaert and they were married 2 October 1948. He and my Grandmother had three children together: Jeffry D. Isham, Gregory P. Isham (my father) and Arnette D. Isham) and his third wife’s name was Mary E. Hedlund whom he had no children with.

(Top: Gregory Isham (my dad), Jeff Isham. Middle: Arnette Isham. Bottom: Lucille Isham, Arnold Isham.)

My grandpa later passed away on August 12^th, 1991 at the young age of 67. He developed a persistent lung cancer due to having smoked cigarettes for 50 years of his life. Gregory P. Isham, his son and my father later performed the baptismal and Endowment ceremonies for Albert on 25 September 1992.