RNHA IL Mourns the Passing of Mary Jo Arndt

Mary Jo Arndt changed Illinois, and her legacy is still shaping our lives, and for Hispanic Republicans, she was a tremendous source of inspiration. It was a great honor for us to consider her a friend, mentor, and leader. Our thoughts and prayers are with Paul and the entire Arndt family.

We have lost Mary Jo Arndt, but her dreams remain with us, as vital as ever. We can remember the gifts she gave us, her advocacy of freedom, and her contributions that paved the way for women and minorities in the political system, her belief in Illinois and the United States of America, her restoration of our belief in ourselves to make a difference.

Mary Jo brought so much to the Republican Party, sharing ideas and bringing them to fruition effectively.  She was a trailblazer with an agenda to empower and attract new people to the Republican Party that were labeled unattainable or impossible at the time, but Mary Jo made them happen. Mary Jo fought for ideas and American values, she was an optimist and spoke the vocabulary of opportunity. She had a vision of what she stood for and what we aspire to as a Nation.  Beneath this positive can-do attitude lay a bedrock of principle and purpose.

Mary Jo was a great friend of the RNHA of Illinois. She was an advisor to the Board of the RNHA of IL since 2004. She recognized the need to reach out to Hispanics before it was en vogue dedicating a great deal of her time and energy to help the RNHA IL get off the ground in the early days of the charters formation.

Forever our Mary Jo, a conservative, a woman of the right, who will be remembered far beyond those labels because we will forever see the resonating impact of Mary Jo within ourselves.