Arnold Hans Fanzoi

Arnold “Arnie” Fanzoi passed away peacefully at home on September 17, 2025. He was born on January 26, 1933, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Austrian immigrants Johann and Mitzi Fanzoi, joining his older sister Hanny. The family later moved to Chicago, Illinois, where they built a custom clinker-brick home during World War II.

After graduating from Taft High School, Arnie joined the U.S. Army. Although the Korean War ended while he was still in boot camp at Camp Roberts in California, it was there that he discovered his love for the Golden State, remarking that he wanted to live where you could “wear short sleeves even in January.” He served in various countries throughout Europe before returning home to attend college.

In 1959, Arnie graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in engineering. True to his California dream, he applied only for jobs in Southern California. With his wife and two young daughters, he moved to Venice, later settling in Buena Park and eventually Anaheim — just down the road from Disneyland — where the family grew to include another daughter.

Arnie spent his entire career in the aerospace industry, working with Autonetics, Rockwell, and Boeing. Though he was a notoriously bad speller, he could fix just about anything. He was known for his quiet generosity, giving freely to others without ever seeking recognition.

After retirement, Arnie and his wife, Nancy “Mickey,” enjoyed traveling the world together, visiting Europe, Australia, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Hawaii.

Arnie was predeceased by his parents and sister. He is survived by the women who loved and cared for him, his wife Mickey and daughters Carey, Debby, and Shelly, as well as his five grandsons Nathaniel, Samuel, Joshua, Eric, and Shane, four sisters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.

A life well lived.