Many of y
ou might have become Summit County Farm Bureau members when Wayne and Carrie Arnold knocked on your door and spouted the benefits of the organization. Wayne was known throughout the state for his endless drive during the yearly membership campaigns. And while Carrie might have been Wayne’s right-hand wo”man” for 56 years, she has continued her dedication to SCFB these past seven years since his death. Whether it is making the pancake batter at the annual Farmers’ Share Breakfast or the 4-H Pancake Breakfast at the county fair, assisting at our annual meeting, working at Sum
mit’s Plow to Chow, teaching students at Ag Day on the Farm, helping supervise our antique museum during the county fair, or spearheading and organizing the Family Fun Night committee, to name just a few, Carrie Arnold is dedicated to our county Farm Bureau. She will jump in and help when-ever and where-ever needed! While we know about Carrie’s service to the SCFB, what else do we know about HER?
Caroline Boss was born on the Boss Family Farm in Copley on April 5, 1935. She was the third child of six of Adam and Katherine Boss. She lost a younger brother to dehydration but gained a sister when her parents adopted Julia Bender after Julia’s mother passed away.
Carrie’s grandfather operated a fruit farm with horses, however, it was converted to a vegetable “truck” farm when her father, Adam, purchased the farm from his father. Her family would take vegetables and fruit to the Cleveland and Akron Markets. The farm included cows, pigs, and chickens. I personally remember Carrie telling me of how she would ride her pony to gather the cows, each day after school. Her father bought one of the first tractors, 1930 Farmall F20, in 1930. Wayne continued his father’s love of “maple sugaring” when he retired, with Carrie’s support, of course. They also opened a small drive-up vegetable stand that is still active today.
Living on a farm during the depression allowed the Boss Family to be pretty self-sufficient. Carrie remembers that people would come to the farm hungry and her mother would always feed them, most would stay on for a little while and help out, staying in the barn for shelter.
She graduated from Copley High School in 1953 and married her sweetheart in 1954. This was virtually the only time she ever lived off the farm, moving to Texas while Wayne was serving in the Navy. They returned to Copley and rented a small house just down the road from Wayne’s family on Rothrock Road while they were building their current home, on the Boss Family Farm, in 1958.
The Boss Egg Farm operated from the late 1960’s through the late 1970’s. Carrie worked there gathering eggs. Which probably helped to spark her “love” of chickens. I don’t think she has been without chickens, since – sometimes many and sometimes few.
Carrie followed in her father’s footsteps when she became a school bus driver, driving for Copley Schools for 20 plus years. Although, her father’s school bus was a hay wagon. Driving school bus allowed Carrie the opportunity to contribute to the family finances at the same time allotting her time to put her family first. She was and is a dedicated matriarch of four children, nine grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
SCFB former Organizational Director, Nick Kennedy, shares his fondness for Wayne and Carrie Arnold. They were the first SCFB members that he met when he came to town. They welcomed him with a smile and open arms, and even had a sign on their chalkboard in the kitchen welcoming him AND a delicious pie ready to eat. Nick said he always liked it when Carrie would host a meeting at her home because you could count on some great dessert waiting for you, even at 9 o’clock in the morning. Nick says “a Farm Bureau event just isn’t complete without the Arnolds attending and sharing in the laughs” and thank goodness Carrie continues to participate, attend and support our Farm Bureau. At age 82, Carrie can still be found working in her 
vegetable garden, taking care of her chickens, and feeding her friends and family.