From the fair to the Foundation, Arnfelt gave

Paul Arnfelt seemed to have the gift of being everyone’s close friend.

It’s a description that comes up over and over, along with words like “generous,” “teacher,” and “respect.”

The longtime Owatonna businessman and philanthropist died June 18. He had celebrated his 90^th birthday with a big party just weeks before.

“Paul and I have known each other from back when I first came to Owatonna in 1959,” said Todd Hale, a retired broadcaster. It’s the same year Arnfelt arrived in Owatonna, after growing up in rural New Richland and serving in the Army.

“We were friends all of that time, and he was very generous to the community – and to the fair,” both with his money and his time, Hale said. “Paul was a very close friend, and our wives were very close friends, as well.”

The two had plenty in common and talked frequently, even as Arnfelt’s health failed.

“In his last weeks, he’d call me, just to shoot the breeze,” Hale said. “We didn’t talk about anything specific, but it was just such a joy to have him call.”

Scott Kozelka, manager of the Steele County Free Fair, knew Arnfelt for 46 years – since his family moved to Owatonna and landed right next door to Paul and Gail Arnfelt and their two kids.

“I can’t tell you exactly how long he’s been involved in the fair,” Kozelka said. “It was just when I started as a director that the Paul Arnfelts and Swede Michaelsons and (Marlyn) Zachariases decided it was time to retire and enjoy the fair.”

Those former directors provided “some of the cornerstones of what I’ve learned over the years,” he said. “I’ve never seen Paul mad, but I’ve seen Paul when he’s teaching you, to make you better.”

Arnfelt recently purchased a bench in memory of Eileen Sampson, who over the years won more than 120 awards in the flower department of the SCFF. It was so important to her that it made her obituary last year.

“Paul wanted to buy a bench in her honor,” and put it near the flower exhibits building, Kozelka said. “Those are the things that mean a lot, and that’s the person he was: Giving, a teacher, a great person for the city of Owatonna and the Steele County Free Fair.”

Mike Hamilton, too, knew the Arnfelt family for years.

“I sold them cars, and Paul just got to be … we always clicked,” said the longtime local car salesman.

“He knew I was into the fair, and my kids were in 4-H, and he just kept gradually working me in – then he retired,” Hamilton laughed.

Arnfelt was instrumental in bringing camping to the fair, an idea that quickly gained traction.

After Arnfelt stepped down from the SCFF Board of Directors, Hamilton assumed the role of director of camping.

Arnfelt stuck around for a number of years, helping Hamilton learn the role, “where to park them and how the campground was set up,” he said.

His mentor’s method of how to set it up was a bit unconventional, though.

“He’d say, now this row goes from this tree to this tree, and then you go from here to this pole … But all of a sudden, one year I came out there to start doing stuff – and they cut some trees down,” Hamilton laughed.

“So I said, ‘Paul, you better come up here. Our tree got cut down.’”

Arnfelt eventually stopped working, “but he would always come and check around. I’d take him on a tour with the golf cart, and check everything out on the grounds,” Hamilton said.

“He and I had a great relationship, and he taught me a whole lot, all about life and business and … I wish I could be half as successful as he was,” Hamilton continued. “He remembered everyone, and when he entertained, he made sure everyone was taken care of. He was just a true, true gentleman.”

It may have been Arnfelt’s love of entertaining that led to another success on the fairgrounds.

“That building probably would not be there today without Paul and Brad Price,” said Doug Meier, referring to the Steele Saloon.

“We had talked about maybe just pouring the cement and then down the road, building the building,” he said of the plan to upgrade the watering hole from a large tent to a permanent structure.

Arnfelt and Price, Meier said, “got word of it and were like, ‘what do we need to do to get this built right now?’

“The only thing they said was, ‘if we’re going to do it, let’s do it right.’ With their donations, then the fundraiser, everything just came together,” Meier said.

“Paul’s got the biggest heart in the world, but he didn’t want the recognition. He just likes to see people happy, and having a good time – and the fair meant a lot to him.”

After the opening ceremony when the building opened in 2024, “we did a little walk-around with Paul and Brad, and they gave us their blessings. ‘You did exactly what we were looking for. You didn’t cut corners, you did it right, and we couldn’t be more proud of the building.’ From those two, it meant a lot,” Meier said.

Arnfelt and his family have been “great contributors – not just to the fair, but to Owatonna in general for many, many years. Owatonna is built on families like that, and they’re one of the leaders, for sure,” Meier said.

Sara McKay, executive director of the Owatonna Foundation, agrees. Arnfelt was on the board of directors for 14 years, then was an emeritus trustee.

“They are very philanthropic to the community,” she said. “You can drive around Owatonna and see that. He was a fair, friendly man.”

Earlier this spring, the family was chosen as the winner of the Spirit of the Community Award, the Foundation’s annual recognition of those who exhibit “exceptional philanthropic commitment, volunteerism and leadership to improve local quality of life.”

Though the award isn’t presented until September, McKay said Arnfelt learned about his family’s honor before he died.

“Paul was truly a special person,” said Steve Grams, CEO of Community Bank Owatonna, of which Arnfelt was a founder.

“From the beginning, when we formed the bank, he really had a simple purpose: To help people and strengthen the community,” Grams said. “He felt that we could do things that other institutions couldn’t or weren’t willing to do.

“I think Paul really lived that on a daily basis,” he said, growing emotional. “He really had a genuine way of connecting with people, and he shaped what we are today.”

Grams moved to Owatonna in 1995 for a banking job; “he and Gail were some of the first people that I met here.”

When Arnfelt formed Community Bank of Owatonna in 2002, he brought Grams onboard to help put it together.

“He always made a point to stop and visit with employees, and ask them how they were doing, how their families were doing,” Grams said, even after Arnfelt retired.

“He shaped what we are today,” he said.

Hale, Arnfelt’s friend of nearly 70 years, said he finds comfort in the belief that “Paul is with Gail now, and with their son, Patrick.”

Patrick Arnfelt died in a car crash near Medford in 1995; he was just 26 years old, and a newlywed.

“I don’t know that Paul ever got over that, I really don’t,” Hale said, “but he deserves all the plaudits we can give him for what he gave to the community. He had Owatonna in his heart.”