SOUTH PORTLAND — Arthur Dean Linnell, 82, died Wednesday, Dec. 1, at his home in South Portland from myelodysplasia, a blood disease he had been battling for two years.

He was born on May 28, 1928, in Portland, the son of Charles E. Linnell and Hazel E. Linnell. He attended Deering High School, where he played flute in the band. He then attended the University of Maine at Orono and earned an associates degree.

One of his early jobs was that of a “nickel snatcher” collecting coins from pay-phones throughout the state. He went on to build a career in banking, beginning with Canal Bank and then Casco Bank, where he served as manager at several locations, most notably the West Buxton branch. He also did a stint in the audit department. Though he took an early retirement, the bank enticed him to stay on in a part-time capacity for several more years.

Art was an avid outdoorsman. As a boy he and his older brother Richard both earned the title of Eagle Scout. A hunter in name only, he loved just being in the woods. He loved fishing and learned to skillfully tie his own flies. Vacations and weekends were often spent camping with family, frequently at Dummer’s Beach in Weld. In retirement, he owned a cabin on Armstrong Pond in Mount Vernon. At home, he spent countless hours gardening, landscaping and bird watching.

In the early 1970s when his son Steve was in high school, the family hosted a foreign exchange student from Greece. This would become a life-long relationship with several visits to Greece. Upon hearing of his death, Menelaus Karayannis wrote in an e-mail, “Art had this rare gift of seeing the bright side of things; he knew how to have fun, and appreciated the moment that was given. For me, he had managed to become a second father, and I will miss him as such.”

That connection also fostered an interest in Greek dancing. Art taught classes in the Portland area and met his wife, Barbara, who was one of his students.

A man of many interests and abilities, he was also an accomplished golfer. He played for fun more than competition but especially enjoyed whopping his buddy Bruce who was a frequent victim in cribbage as well.

Art chose to spend his remaining days at home under the care of his wife and Hospice of Southern Maine. He requested that his body be donated to the University of New England Medical School for research purposes.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; a son, Steven Linnell and wife, Linda, of Portland; three stepdaughters, Sandra Conder and husband, Terry, of Mesa, Ariz., Natalie Shapiro and husband, Jerry, of Belmont, Mass., and Jennifer Major and husband, Tom, of Portland; and four grandchildren, Noah Major, Pamela Shapiro, Monica Shapiro and Kailyss Linnell.