Bonnie Arnold

Bonnie Arnold of Harpers Ferry passed away peacefully on March 9 at the age of 81, surrounded by her family.

After graduating from Indiana University, Bonnie supported her husband through his junior Army officer assignments and early U.S. government postings before they settled in Fairfax County, Virginia. One of the earliest members of the Fairfax County Office for Children, she began a long and distinguished career in county government during the formation of a task force dedicated to establishing early childhood education as a vital community service. She retired as Director of Early Childhood Education, overseeing all county programs including Head Start and before- and after-school learning. These initiatives provided essential childcare to more than 10,000 children each year across over 130 school sites, serving preschool, school-age, and special-needs children. Bonnie developed innovative learning approaches that emphasized the natural world, the arts, and cultural respect, creating a model that was later studied and adopted by other cities and counties.

A member of Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church, Bonnie was a lifelong supporter of the National Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy.

She is survived by her husband, Stephen Arnold; her brother, Michael Brown of New South Wales, Australia; her sons, Andrew of Shepherdstown and Matthew of Charles Town; daughters-in-law Carmela Cesare and Shawn Arnold; and granddaughters Sadie, Jackie, Myra, Gwen, and Justine.