Walter 'Wally"

Arsenault

Walter "Wally" Arsenault passed away peacefully at his home in Scarborough Maine on November 2, 2026. His wife Donna Arsenault and daughter Jenna McGroerty were at his side.

Wally was born in 1948 in Bath, Maine to Marion Sohan and Edward Arsenault. After graduating from Morse High School, Wally served during the Vietnam conflict. He was the recipient of the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Wally was also a Hercules Missile Crewman and an expert rifleman. Upon returning home he married Donna Cabana and they moved to Gorham, Maine to raise their daughter Jenna. They stayed married for the next 58 years. While living in Gorham Wally was involved in the community as a volunteer firefighter and a member of EMS. He returned to college and earned an associate's degree as a medical assistant. When Wally and Donna moved to their retirement home in Scarborough, he again became very active in his community. He served for 26 years on their neighborhood's association, most of them as president. The bonds he helped to foster in the neighborhood are made clear through this quote from the retirement poem the association wrote him-

"Brick by brick and year by year,
He helped build a community many hold dear.
Not for applause, nor title, nor praise,
But because he believed in these shared living days."

Wally's most tenured jobs were at Emery Waterhouse as a supervisor, a cardiac technician at Maine Medical Center, and a salesman at Circuit City. After an unsuccessful attempt at full retirement, he joined the team at Citgo in Scarborough where he could keep an eye on all the comings and goings of the town and made long lasting friendships.

Wally loved spending time with family and friends. He and Donna enjoyed providing a space to bring family together. He also enjoyed spending time with Jenna, her husband John McGroerty, and their friends. Every Sunday during football season Wally and Donna would be at Jenna and John's home (unless they were actually at the game) to cheer on Wally's lifetime favorite New England Patriots. Wally and Jenna looked forward to seeing Jimmy Buffett every summer for 20 years in a row, starting the trips with just the two of them and growing into a group of eight to ten Parrotheads by year 20. In 2025 Wally was selected to the Maine Honor Flight trip to Washington DC, and Jenna accompanied him. Some of Wally's other adventures included helicopter rides, white water rafting, zip lining in Las Vegas and even sky diving! Wally was a joy to be around, quick with a snappy one liner or regaling you with stories of his younger days.

The family is deeply grateful to everyone at New England Cancer Specialists and Andwell Hospice Services for the support, compassion and kindness offered through Wally's fight. Funeral services will be private, and a public celebration of life will be held on Saturday, December 5 2026 at Wally and Donna's home.