Arne Richard Oftedal

Arne Richard Oftedal, 64, of Bakersfield California, passed away on Wednesday July 1st, 2020 at his home in Bakersfield California.

Viewing will be held at Basham Funeral Care at 3312 Niles Street on Saturday July 18th from 2pm - 6pm. Funeral Service will be held at Basham Funeral Care at 3312 Niles Street on Monday July 20th at 10am. Due to the Covid Pandemic seating at Basham will be limited to 75 people and all attendees must wear face coverings, as well as maintain social distancing. A live stream of the service will be available on the Basham Funeral Service Facebook page.

Arne was born in Pomona, CA to Arnette Oftedal Calkins and Dr. Sverre John Oftedal on December 1, 1955. Arne was raised in Pomona, attended Pomona High School and played football for Pomona High School. He attended George Washington University and later moved to California. While back in California, he would meet his future wife on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. They were married on November 11, 1978 in Santa Barbara where he attended University of Santa Barbara. They moved to Bakersfield, CA and Arne finished his bachelor's degree in Accounting at California State University of Bakersfield. They welcomed their first child, Laura Karen Oftedal in 1982. Then, their second child, Anna Elizabeth Oftedal, in 1988. He was also the foster parent to Elizabeth Smith. Arne helped hundreds of people during his long career as a Certified Public Accountant and treated his clients as if they were family. He was a leader of the Downtown Bakersfield Optimist Club for many years and became a lifetime member in 2006. He was among the first parents to establish HEARTS Connection, a resource center for families with special needs. Arne was an active member of the church, participated on worship teams and was a part of many Christian church families over the years. He loved God and through his love of God, he loved helping others and touched many people in his life. He loved telling stories, jokes, learning about family history, playing guitar and football. He was truly an inspiration and loved by so many. He will be greatly missed.

Arne is preceded in death by his father, Sverre John Oftedal and his daughter Anna Oftedal.

Arne is survived by his wife Deborah Oftedal, daughters Laura Oftedal, Elizabeth Smith, mother Arnette Calkins, siblings Robert Oftedal, David Calkins, John Oftedal, Theresa Bates, Sunny Oftedal, Brooke Oftedal and grandsons Nicholas and Erik Flores, nieces, nephews and cousins.

The family would love to thank everyone for their support. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Bakersfield Rescue Mission, 816 E 21st, Bakersfield, CA, (661) 325-0863.

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