Obituary of Victoria Arnold

Victoria D. Arnold, age 74 and longtime music educator in the Iowa City Schools, died suddenly in her home on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024.

A celebration of Vicki’s life will be held at 4pm Tuesday, October 8th, 2024, at the Kirkwood Room in Iowa City.  In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Vicki’s memory. 

Victoria Diane Lamb was born June 14, 1950, in Ft. Madison, Iowa the daughter of Victor and Charlotte (Larson) Lamb.  She attended Fort Madison Community High School before continuing her education in music at University of Iowa. Vicki married Stephen P. Arnold in 1970 in Ft. Madison.  He was her best friend, and they shared their love of music and the arts.  They settled in Iowa City, where they were both active in the arts community.  Vicki earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in music education.  She was an accomplished pianist, organist, and a beautiful vocalist. Her love for music was profound.  In recent years, Vicki could often be found at home playing her beloved baby grand piano. 

Vicki’s musical gifts graced thousands of children in her role as a general music educator in the Iowa City Community School District. Her celebrated career in arts education included 42 years of teaching kindergarten through sixth grade, beginning in 1973 at Mark Twain Elementary School, moving to Irving Weber Elementary School in 1994 when it first opened.  She particularly loved teaching third and fourth grade students due to their eagerness and positivity when learning about new music and instruments.  Vicki’s cheerful disposition and passion for building musical communities contributed to her leadership role in the Iowa City Schools.  She became general music curriculum coordinator in 1987, and continued in that role through 2015.  As coordinator, she focused on supporting high quality music education through the development of a grant to bring diverse materials to students celebrating the music of many cultures across the globe.

Vicki loved working within music education as a leader and supporter of her music colleagues, always advocating for music education in the public schools, as well as acting as a mentor to many college students. She guided practicum students and student teachers from several colleges and universities across Iowa, and was especially skilled in helping them design a wide variety of music curriculum for the elementary music setting. In addition to her work in the schools, Vicki also served as the Director of Iowa City Girls Choir from 1974-2020, selecting repertoire, conducting, and accompanying as a collaborative pianist for concerts and school tours.  She guided and inspired young vocalists for nearly five decades in this role.  She also served as the church organist at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church for many years, sharing her talents with her faith community.

Outside of music-making, Vicki was a friend and caretaker to many.  She loved lively conversation, finding fun places to go out for a meal with friends, and new adventures.  She was a life-long learner; a creative and joy-filled individual.  Anyone that was lucky enough to know Vicki would agree she had a heart of gold.

Vicki’s legacy is carried forward by her three children: Matthew and his wife, Joy Arnold, Christopher Arnold and his fiancée, Tracey Walker, and Elisabeth Arnold, and her daughter-in-law, Jessica Jensen.  She is also survived by her grandchildren: Austin Arnold (Taylor Bever), Skylar Arnold (Julian Bubolia) and Jeffrey McAvoy; sister, Linda Strauser of Cedar Rapids and her cousin, Carol Mast of Cedar Rapids.

Vicki was preceded in death by her parents, and her husband, Stephen, in 2003.