Obituaries : Theron H. Arnett; Former Educator, Air Force Veteran

Theron Harry Arnett, a former Los Angeles Unified School District administrator and San Fernando Valley educator, has died.

According to his wife, Jean, Arnett died Thursday at Sepulveda Veterans Hospital after a series of strokes. He was 76.

A native of Wichita, Kan., Arnett served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. On his 13th mission with the 347th Bomb Squadron, his plane was shot down over Czechoslovakia by German troops. Arnett and his crew parachuted to safety but were eventually caught and sent to a Gestapo prison because one of the crew members was from the Office of Special Services (OSS), the wartime intelligence agency that was the predecessor of the CIA.

Because he was a radio operator, spoke German and a coded OSS message was found at his feet, Arnett was thought to be a spy and suffered the brunt of the beatings and abuse levied against the group before they were rescued by Gen. George Patton’s troops.

After the war, Arnett joined his parents in California. He soon married and moved to Tujunga. The family lived in Reseda for a decade before settling in Woodland Hills.

Arnett received a bachelor’s degree in education from USC and a master’s degree in education from Cal Poly Pomona. He received his doctorate from Brigham Young University.

During his long career, Arnett was an administrator at Plainview, Capistrano, Woodland Hills and Sharp elementary schools. He then worked in the school district’s personnel division until his retirement in 1980, when he and his wife moved to Oceanside and he became an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University.

In addition to his wife, Arnett is survived by two sons, Terry Arnett of Encinitas and Ted Arnett of Chico; his brother, Donald Arnett of Long Beach; sisters Inez Gallagher of Oceanside and Mackie Moody of Forest Ranch, and five grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Bastian & Perrott Mortuary, Northridge.

Memorial donations may be made to the YMCA, P.O. Box 230907, Encinitas 92023.