Arlington Raymond Banks spent much of his life clean- ing the dirt from people’s clothes, towels, sheets and other fabrics.

Following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, Mr. Banks operated a coin laundry and dry cleaners in Jackson Ward.

Along with people who came to wash and dry their clothes at the coin laundry at 419 Brook Road, Mr. Banks’ coin laundry was popular with beauty shops, hotels and other businesses that needed to clean everything from uniforms to sheets and clothes. According to Mr. Banks’ family, a big part of his business involved cleaning, folding and returning items to a variety of nearby opera- tions that would drop off bags of items for washing. He was described as a quiet man with a wicked sense of humor that some likened to the Fox on “Sanford and Son.”TV character played by Redd Mr. Banks succumbed to a long illness on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. He was 81.

Second District City Councilwoman Kim B. Gray, who lives nearby, was a regular at the cleaners.

“He looked after me. He took care of my clothes and was a wonderful person to talk with about what was going on,” she said. “I will really miss him.”

Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

The Banks family got into the business when Robert Banks Sr. opened a shop in Washington Park after the turn of the century. His son, Robert Banks Jr., joined the business when he was 15.

Robert Banks Jr. opened his own business in the 1930s in the 300 block of Brook Road and then, after World War II, he bought and renovated a former blacksmith shop about a block north, turning it into a Laundromat.

Arlington Banks, like his eight siblings, grew up in the business. He remained involved after graduating from high school and serving in the Navy.

After completing his military service, Mr. Banks worked part time at the laundry and dry cleaners while holding a full- time job as a procurement specialist with the Defense General Supply Center. He retired from his full-time job in 1996 after 30 years.

When Mr. Banks’ father died in 2001, he took over the business. While he stopped dry cleaning, he built up the laundry side of the company. The business remains open as the family mulls its future.

Mr. Banks also was a lifetime member of Goodwill Baptist Church.

Survivors include his daughter, Audrey Banks; three brothers, Ralph S. Banks Sr., Reginald L. Banks and Russell H. Banks; three sisters, Roslyn B. Goode, Rosetta B. Simms and Roxie B. Lyons; a granddaughter; and a great-grandson.