Arndt von Hippel

Jul 31, 1932 -

Mar 23, 2023

Arndt von Hippel died at home in his sleep on March 23, 2023.

Arndt was born in Gottingen, Germany, to Arthur and Dagmar (Franck) von Hippel on July 31, 1932. In 1933, the family fled Hitler's Germany. They lived for a year in Istanbul, Turkey, followed by over a year in Copenhagen, Denmark, before moving to the United States when Arndt was 4. They settled in Weston, Mass., where he grew up.

Arndt graduated from the Cambridge School of Weston in 1949, M.I.T. in 1953, and Harvard Medical School in 1957. Friends joked that when he left M.I.T. and went to Harvard, he raised the IQ of both institutions. During medical school he spent one summer in Newfoundland assisting a local doctor, and two summers in Prince William Sound counting fish for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He fell in love with Alaska during his summers in Prince William Sound.

Arndt had his first date with his future wife, Marianne, in 1957. She was the younger sister of his medical school classmate Dorothy, with whom he shared a cadaver in anatomy lab. Dorothy arranged a date for them for the graduation dance, but later told Marianne, "I'm sorry to fix you up with Arndt, he was the only one left." Arndt and Marianne married in 1959.

Arndt did his general surgical residency at Boston City Hospital and a fellowship in chest surgery at the University of Iowa. After he finished his fellowship and Marianne completed her pediatric residency, they drove up the dusty Alaska-Canadian Highway with their three young children and all their worldly goods, arriving in Anchorage in June 1965. They had a fourth child two years later.

Arndt began his practice in general chest surgery when he arrived in Anchorage, but went to Milwaukee in 1975, to learn the new treatment of coronary bypass surgery. Upon his return, he started a highly successful coronary bypass program at Providence Hospital. During his practice he invented a new device to facilitate chest drainage and published two books on chest surgery.

Arndt retired after his own coronary bypass surgery in 1983. He then taught anatomy and physiology at the University of Alaska Anchorage and wrote several books on health and evolution. One of his books was accepted for publication on the condition that he remove the swear words. Instead, he installed a printing press in his basement and published the more colorful version of the book himself.

Arndt fulfilled a lifelong dream when he purchased a farm in Palmer in the early 1970s and ran it for many years with his children and their friends. He enjoyed flying his Citabria, hiking, baking bread, gardening, sculpting, sailing and reading books on a wide variety of topics. He had a big personality and strong opinions on many issues, which he was always happy to share.

Arndt was preceded in death by his parents; nephew, Ben von Hippel; and niece, Vali Kahn. He is survived by his wife, Marianne; children, Ted (Pamela), Bill (Courtney), Karin and Frank (Cathy); grandchildren, Max, Jordy, Sophia, Maya and Sam; siblings, Peter, Frank, Eric and Maianna; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.