Argyl D Bacon's Obituary
Dr. Argyl “Arg” Bacon, 100, of Honolulu, died March 20th, 2024, at Hale O Meleana, Honolulu.
He was born April 15, 1923, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
His memorial service will be held on April 14, 4 pm, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1350 Hunakai Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816.
Arg was married to Mariam Blackburn Bacon (deceased) and is survived by son Michael
(Angel, spouse), grandchildren Christine and Katelyn, daughter Jennifer, extended family members, and countless friends.
Arg grew up in a small town outside Fort Wayne, Indiana, and graduated from New Haven
High School (1940). During World War II, the army selected him to study at Indiana University -
Purdue University Indianapolis (1949) to become a doctor. There, he met and married the
“smartest girl in the class”, Mariam Blackburn. They were married for over 50 years.
Having completed his medical training, Arg re-enlisted at the start of the Korean War. He was
assigned to Hawaii and worked at Tripler Hospital, where he became interested in orthopedics. Mariam joined him and they both developed an appreciation for life in Hawaii.
After the war ended, Arg and Mariam moved to a suburb of Chicago. The unpleasant winters,
however, led Arg to seek employment back in the Islands. In 1968, the family moved back to
Hawaii, and Arg joined Kaiser Permanente as an orthopedist. He lived and relished “this beautiful place” for the rest of his life.
Arg was a world traveler and theater enthusiast, which led him to take many trips to England.
He was particularly fond of the play Les Miserable and saw it each time he returned to London.
Arg also enjoyed basketball. He played in high school and in the army, and later, closely
followed the Indiana college teams (Purdue, Indiana, Butler) through March Madness, one of his favorite times of the sports year. He was a fan of the Detroit Tigers baseball team and had listened to their games on the radio since he was a boy. The Little League World Series also became a favorite, an annual source of sheer delight.
He enjoyed several genres of music, in particular Dixieland jazz and music he and Mariam had enjoyed when visiting New Orleans.
In later years, in addition to painting, cooking became an enjoyable hobby, in particular, his flourless fruitcakes were meticulously made (and weighed). He loved making them, tinkering with the recipes, and generously sharing them throughout the year. In 2017, he was featured in
the Taste section of the Honolulu Star Bulletin in an article about fruitcake. Many people, even some who had had that “other experience” with fruitcake, commented that Arg’s fruitcake was the best they had ever had. Arg also loved sweets, especially ice cream, black licorice, truffles, and jelly beans. Faith, food, family, and friends were his “center”
A man of deep faith, Arg was devoted to his church, church family, and his weekly coffee time with “the guys”. For many years he led and hosted a Bible study group, with lively discussions and respectful interactions were the norm. He was not afraid to ask difficult questions and welcomed differing viewpoints.
Arg was a calm, engaging, and charming presence in many peoples’ lives.
Despite assumptions about age, Arg was the healthiest person many of us knew.
During a recent brief rehab stay, a nurse commented, “He's the most popular patient we have!”
Arg and his many gifts of generosity, thoughtfulness, and kindness will be dearly missed.
What’s your fondest memory of Argyl?
What’s a lesson you learned from Argyl?
Share a story where Argyl's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Argyl you’ll never forget.
How did Argyl make you smile?