Obituary for Jack Armstrong

Jack Armstrong passed peacefully on Saturday, June 13 at the age of 97. Dialysis was no longer working for him so his body gradually ceased to function. In the last few days he still enjoyed some simple pleasures such as reading the newspaper, eating crackers with blue cheese, drinking milk shakes, and sleeping
comfortably in bed.

Jack was born in Seattle on April 9, 1923 to John and Sarah Armstrong. He joined three siblings who were much older: Bill, Violet, and Daisy. They lived on Capital Hill in Seattle until the depression when they moved to a peaceful farm in Monroe. He enjoyed wandering the countryside and visiting with his older siblings who would come to dinner on the weekends.

Jack graduated from Monroe High School in 1941. The following year Karin and her friend were at a booth in the White Spot restaurant when dad asked to share the booth. Upon leaving he asked, “Can I come to dinner at your apartment and I’ll bring the steaks?” Then things happened quickly: dating, joining the navy,
being stationed in Norfolk where he worked on torpedoes, coming home for a December visit, and deciding it was the right time to get married.

On December 22, 1943 they married. They were joined at the ceremony with their parents and Karin’s older sister, Essy. It was much later for their 50th wedding anniversary that many friends and family joined to celebrate their marriage.

They had three children: John, Sue, and Tom. Jack was a salesman working for Nalleys, Watkins, an insurance company, Fuller Brush, Sunny Jim, and McCabe Damon from which he retired. In retirement Jack and Karin took nightly walks, played hand-and-foot, maintained a large vegetable garden, fed the squirrels, had a nightly glass of wine, and had a schedule of breakfasts for each day of the week.

They camped at Priest Lake for over 30 years. A trailer was purchased that made their stays at Priest Lake more comfortable and they used it on road trips to nearby states. Traveling to Hawaii also created wonderful memories for them.

Together with Karin he showed family and friends a committed, loving marriage. As children we were well cared for, experienced a lot of fun, and had a great ​example of a good life. Grandchildren and great grandchildren were also very fortunate. From feeding the ducks, teasing the squirrels, family dinners, walking beaches, and enjoying fireplace fires...all great experiences.

The one word that comes to mind when thinking of Jack is wood. He always had a toothpick nearby, carved beautiful wooden sculptures, built birdhouses, and had huge stacks of firewood for his wood burning fireplace. In tribute to Jack, we had
toothpicks join him for eternity.

Please feel free to share your memories with us in celebrating his life.

For your information, his ashes will join Karin’s at Priest Lake this fall. Due to covid19 we will have a celebration of his life in 2021 when it is a safer time. If you wish to do something to honor his memory, we would encourage you to donate to a local food bank to help those that are struggling. ​

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