Friends and colleagues are fondly remembering Shawano attorney Arnold Greenhill, who died Saturday at age 66, as a man of the people.
Elsie Greenhill said her husband, who battled multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow) for several years, loved Shawano.
He was on the Shawano Area Community Foundation board and served 10 years on the board of trustees for Shawano Medical Center.
“Shawano was very dear to his heart,“ she said. “He was happy to contribute to the progress and the betterment of the Shawano community.”
Attorney Jim Aschenbrener joined Greenhill in his law office 2 1/2 years ago.
“He wanted to make sure he got everything done before he died,” Aschenbrener said. “He was happy I helped him with that. He was so good at his job and just knew everything. He was effective at coming up with solutions.”
Aschenbrener said he never had the chance to work with his lawyer father, the late Steve Aschenbrener, and Greenhill became like a father figure to him.
He said Greenhill came to the office whenever he could this year in spite of being hospitalized several times.
“To me, it was like a partnership, but legally it wasn’t,” Aschenbrener said.
Dr. Thomas Thomas and Greenhill were good friends since the early 1980s. They golfed every Thursday and took several trips to Florida and Nevada to golf.
“That was one of his favorite things to do,” Thomas said. “It was a social thing, a relief from work.”
Thomas described Greenhill as extremely ethical and very intelligent.
“You could really trust him to maintain confidentiality,” he said.
Rick Stadelman, executive director of the Wisconsin Towns Association, hired Greenhill as an assistant district attorney, which brought him to Shawano in 1975. He said Greenhill was well-respected, both as district attorney and in his private practice.
Cathy Molkentin was Greenhill’s legal assistant since 1999.
“He taught me a lot and helped me learn,” she said. “He found the best solutions for his clients.”
Molkentin said he knew the right way to do things for his clients.
“He wanted to make sure that everything was taken care of and everything was done that needed to be done,” she said. “He was very down to earth. That’s why so many people can relate to him.”
Shawano-Menominee Circuit Court Judge James Habeck remembered Greenhill as Shawano’s leading probate attorney for many years and a man with an excellent grasp of real estate law.
Habeck and Greenhill also shared a common interest in baseball cards.
“For some years, they were a combination of hobby and business for Arnie, who made many shrewd moves,” Habeck said. “However, stocking up on rookie cards for Billy Joe Robideau was not a profit maker. Robideau was good enough to hit 18 homers at Triple A, but had warning track power during his brief career with the Brewers.”
Habeck said he also learned a few things from Greenhill when it came to fishing.
“During open water months, I carry a fishing rod and basic tackle box in my truck, just in case the opportunity would arise, a trait I learned from Arnie,” he said. “I seldom fish on a whim while passing through an area, but Arnie planted the idea in me. He had some productive days with smallmouth bass on the Wolf River.”
Habeck also recalled a story from the days when Greenhill worked in the district attorney’s office.
“Defense attorney Jack Schumacher was a frequent protagonist,” Habeck said. “Arnie was in his office one day when attorney Schumacher called, then began reaming the prosecutor out about his terrible judgment on a case.”
Habeck said Greenhill realized the call was obviously being made for the benefit of the defense client, who was in the Schumacher law office.
“Arnie roared, ‘This is a $50 phone call!’ Arnie slammed down the phone,” Habeck said. “I often wondered if Jack kept performing on the other end of the line for his client.”
Greenhill was diagnosed five years ago with multiple myeloma.
Thomas said that most people survive three to four years after that diagnosis, but he noted Greenhill’s positive attitude kept him going and continuing to fight the disease.
“I’m impressed how he handled the whole situation,” Thomas said. “He will be missed by many, many people.”
Greenhill’s son, Ryan, put a touching tribute to his father on Facebook that read, in part, “Not many can view their father as a hero, role model, inspiration, intellectual, confidant, comedian and best friend. I will forever strive to live my life in a way that makes you proud.“
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