Remembering Yvonne W. Arrowood

Yvonne W. Arrowood went home to eternal rest, on the longest night of the year, December 22, 2024. Born in Baltimore on February 27, 1942, she was the daughter of Sarah (Myers) and Oscar Whittaker and spent much of her life in the High Street house in Chestertown that she grew up in.

She graduated from St. Mary’s Junior College and Chestertown High School. Mrs. Arrowood was married twice, to David Hurt, with whom she had two daughters, Cheryl Hurt and Karen Dionisio, and to Douglas Arrowood, with whom she had one son, Bill Arrowood.

In a career as long as it was diverse, she owned two small businesses: The Family Singer Sewing Center and the Body Shoppe. She also drove a school bus, worked retail sales, delivered newspapers, sold cars, and real estate, before settling into her longest occupation, the manager of the Women in Need Thrift Store, where she was the face of the store for nearly 20 years until her retirement in 2020. In addition to her career, she was a devoted member of First United Methodist Church, leading adult and children’s Sunday school, youth group, and was a member of the Board of Trustees.

In the 1980s she was Kent County ‘s local representative of the Salvation Army, serving as an emergency resource at all hours, day or night, to those in need. She was instrumental in the organization of one of the town’s first food pantries and was the founder of the Annual Feast of Love Christmas Day Dinner, which this year celebrated its 40th anniversary. A devout Christian, Yvonne had a true servant’s heart, and was a surrogate mother to many, and with the support of her children volunteered for countless programs and events. With her father and her son, she shared a love of baseball, and played softball and loved playing piano, especially hymns. In addition to her children, and their spouses, she is survived by her grandchildren Ana Osuna and Aaron Dionisio and her great-grandson, Jeremiah Ramos.

Services will be held on Saturday, January 4 at 12:00 pm at First United Methodist Church, with a reception following in the church