John D. Arenivar

John David Arenivar, age 58, of Hastings, passed away at home on December 6 after a 9-month battle with cancer. John was born on December 4, 1957 in El Paso, Texas to Alfredo and Soledad (Lozano) Arenivar. He graduated from Burges High School in 1975. As a 1975 Presidential Scholar, John was one of only 120 students in the nation invited to Washington, D.C. to receive an award from President Gerald Ford at the White House. John received a B.S. in Chemistry from MIT in 1979 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. John worked at Shepherd Chemical in Cincinnati, Ohio for 10 years and then at 3M in Maplewood, MN as a patent researcher since 1998. In 2013, John received a 3M Volunteer of the Year award for his work with the 3M United Way campaign and his many volunteer activities. John's interests were wide-ranging. John was a strong supporter of soccer in Hastings. He was an enthusiastic soccer referee at the club and high school levels and encouraged and mentored young referees. He coached recreational and traveling soccer teams and served as president of the Hastings Soccer Club Board in 2001. John was a dedicated member of the Minnesota MIT Alumni Club, serving as secretary, as vice president and as president. John was named to the 2015 MIT Alumni Association Honor Roll of Service for the work he did to “cement the MIT Club of Minnesota as a vibrant MIT community.” John's love of bicycling led him to participate in multiple MS TRAM and MS 150 rides, and join biking friends on long-distance rides in Michigan and northern Wisconsin. John was actively involved in community theater in Cincinnati and with Black Dirt Theater in Hastings, taking on both on-stage and behind-the-scenes responsibilities. John is survived by his wife Becky of Hastings, by his daughter Madeleine, son-in-law Ricardo and grandson Hugo of Quito, Ecuador, by his son David of Baltimore, MD, and by his daughter Isabel of Milwaukee, WI. John is also survived by his parents Alfredo and Soledad Arenivar of El Paso, and by his siblings Jody Arenivar, James Arenivar, Terry Velez, Tony Arenivar and Angie Sprague. A memorial gathering will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Tues., Dec. 22 at the Wise Family Funeral Home, 400 Spring St. in Hastings. Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers. The Wise Family Funeral Home is serving the family. Visit www.wisefamilyfh.com to sign the online tribute page and view the memorial video.