Arnold Schweigert
Arnold Schweigert, loving husband, father, grandfather and brother passed away peacefully at home March 2, 2025, at the age of 93. He was born October 15, 1931 in Hebron ND, the third child of Walter Victor Schweigert and Elsie Ann Rueter Schweigert.
He attended area schools and helped in the family store before moving to Colorado Springs CO where he finished high school and attended the University of Colorado, Boulder. He lifeguarded in the summer and skied in the winter.
He served in the US Air Force as a corporal during the Korean War and was stationed at FE Warren AFB as a teletype mechanic. He returned home to Beach ND where he met the love of his life Joan Wenberg Schweigert. They attended Jamestown College (now University of Jamestown) in Jamestown ND together, and upon graduation were married July 20, 1958. He graduated with a BA from Jamestown College, and went on to complete a Masters of Education from the University of Montana in 1961 and a Masters of Science Education from the University of Utah in 1963. During this time he and Joan discovered California while visiting relatives on winter break from teaching in Great Falls Montana, and accepted teaching jobs for the next fall. While teaching in Southern California they came to Santa Barbara CA on holiday and decided that it was a pretty nice place.
He spent 33 years serving the Santa Barbara schools as a teacher, counselor and then an administrator, spending 21 years as a counselor and then Dean of Administration at Dos Pueblos High School, until he retired in 1992. Their three children were born and raised in Santa Barbara. He loved spending time with his family and spent many summers with his family in the Sierra Nevadas camping and fishing for trout, and traveling back to North Dakota. He was an active member of the First Congregational Church of Santa Barbara,UCC, where he sang in the church choir and volunteered at many charities. He learned to play the trumpet in his retirement and was part of the Prime Time Band of Santa Barbara. He enjoyed gardening and tending to his fruit and avocado trees, beekeeping and feeding the birds. He traveled in Europe, China and the Middle East, as well as South America, Canada and many parts of the United States.
He is preceded in death by his son Mark Arnold Schweigert and wife Joan Wenberg Schweigert, parents Walter and Elsie Schweigert, older brother Frederick Schweigert and niece Karen Ferguson Parke (Mike).
He is survived by his daughter Sara Schweigert Rickman (Mike), son John Schweigert (Carolyn), five grandchildren (Jacob, Nate and Colin Rickman and Justin and Chantel Schweigert), sister Carol Schweigert Ferguson, niece Deborah Ferguson Bushey and nephews Mitchell Ferguson (Cheryl) and Ronald Ferguson (Sandy). We will miss him dearly.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the First Congregational Church of Santa Barbara, UCC, or University of Jamestown, Jamestown, ND, Schweigert scholarship fund.
