Dr. Arnold R. Tammes

Dr. Arnold Richard Tammes (“Art”), a dedicated physician, beloved mentor, cherished friend, and treasured father and grandfather, passed away on Monday, September 22, 2025, in Rockford IL, after a long battle with cancer. The son of Ben and Jean (Van Der Laan) Tammes, he was born on September 17, 1928, in Sheldon, Iowa. He married Sally (Blackmer) Tammes on October 1, 1965, in Edwardsville, IL. They remained married for 57 years until her passing in July of 2023.

Art was a proud US Navy veteran and served as an enlisted sailor on the USS Badoeng Strait (CVE 116) and then later as a Medical Officer.

His educational path led him to the University of Iowa for college. He then traveled to the Netherlands where he attended medical school at the University of Amsterdam. He completed his medical training at his much-loved University of Iowa. He fondly recalled working long nights at the Iowa City VA. After a move to Rockford Illinois, Art spent many years at Rockford Memorial Hospital as a pathologist and head of the Chemistry lab where he was widely admired and respected by all who worked there. He always looked forward to the annual Christmas caroling visit from the lab staff. Art was a beloved and award-winning top professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine-Rockford. He also authored a book (a best seller in our hearts), Electronics for Medical and Biology Laboratory Personnel. He remained an active participant in his community as a Winnebago County CASA Child Advocate, working to make a difference in the lives of children in need. His proudest accomplishments were not measured solely by his medical credentials but by all of those he impacted along the way.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Art was an avid backyard bird watching enthusiast, friend to all dogs, and loved a good Sunday drive and carwash. Mainly, he loved his family and all the special friends who cherished him and stood by him all these years.

He survived by his twins, John (Kathy) Tammes of Elgin and Mary Choice of Fox Point, WI; his grandchildren, Steven and Chris (Will Manley) Tammes, Chloe (Jared) Schnoll, and Samuel (Sydney O’Hare) Choice; his siblings Jim Tammes, Diane Tammes, and Sharon Nelson. He is preceded in death by his wife, Sally Tammes, his sons Eric Tammes and Richard Tammes and his brother, Henry Tammes.

A Memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Riverside Chapel, 3910 N. Rockton Av., Rockford IL, 61103. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine or online here.

To share memories and condolences online, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com.