Jon Yard Arnason, Esq.

MILLERTON – Jon Yard Arnason, Esq., 77, a twenty five year resident of Millerton, formerly of Manhattan, New York, died Saturday, July 15, 2023 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. Mr. Arnason was an attorney in private practice in Manhattan prior to his retirement.

Born Feb. 5, 1946, in Washington, D.C., he was the son of the late Hjorvaour Harvard and Elizabeth Hickcox (Yard) Arnason. He received his B.A. from Harvard College and his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School. His wife, Sytske “Sia’ Aaltje (Dania) Arnason survives at home in Millerton. In addition to his wife, Jon is also survived by his sister, Eleanor Arnason of St. Paul, Minnesota, and many close friends.

When Jon retired from his law practice, he made his many gifts available to the Town of North East, serving on the zoning board of appeals and on the board of The North East Community Center. His outreach and canvassing as chairman of the North East Democratic Party made him a well-known figure in town and county politics. Always affable and willing to joke and chat, he was very effective in town affairs.

Jon was a gifted raconteur with a wonderful sense of humor. Endlessly curious and a great reader he was never far from a stack of books and a sleeping cat. He was remarkable for his retention of so much factual material. His broad interests took him deep into ancient and modern history of all kinds, world events, economics, and literature from any century. He had a deep background in art and art history, thanks to his father, a scholar of modern art and director of many museums. Any interests took him deep into the subject. A father from Iceland, Jon read all the medieval Icelandic sagas and could happily expound upon them. This was true of his knowledge of the Tudors of England or the plays of Shakespeare, the Civil War and the administration of just about any U.S. president.

His work and his interests took him to many parts of the world, several times on sailing vessels, and to Indonesia with Sia, his wife, who was born there. They had a succession of delightful cats, all strays or abandoned at the farm next door, who showed up at frequent intervals, were loved and coddled for the rest of their lives.

It seems that the word got around about the amenities of the Arnason household.

Jon enjoyed the men’s biking group of Silver Mountain for many years, as well as his book club, keeping up with his Harvard classmates and the yearly Wimbledon tennis matches, probably the main reason he even owned a television. He was a talented cook as well. His delightful company will be missed by all who when him.

Town of North East Supervisor, Chris Kennan, expressed the following sentiments about Jon upon hearing of his passing: A sad note, it is my duty to report the passing of Jon Arnason early yesterday morning. A longtime resident of Charlie Hill Road, Jon was an active and generous member of our community organizations. He was a board member of the North East Community Center. He served as chairman of the North East Democratic Committee, and did much to energize and organize the town’s Democrats. He worked to help the town update its zoning code, in the areas of solar fields and road signs. He played an especially important role as a member of the town’s zoning board of appeals. Jon will be very much missed.

There are no calling hours. A memorial service will be announced at a later date.Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com