Bill L. Armstrong
Bill L. Armstrong
Lt. Col. Bill L. Armstrong, USAF Ret. passed away on January 19, 2017. He was born February 19, 1946 to Harry and Martha (Patsy) Armstrong in San Diego, CA. The family relocated to Bremerton, WA in the 1950s, where Bill attended Dewey Elementary School in Manette and graduated from East High School in 1964.
In 1968 he earned a BA degree in English from WSU and later earned an MBA from Golden Gate University. Upon graduation from college he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the US Air Force where he served for 20 years with distinction and honor until his retirement in 1988. Returning to his home state and settling in Redmond, WA he embarked on a rewarding 24 year career at the University of Washington, retiring as the Associate Director for Campus Operations on August 1, 2012.
Bill was a maker of dreams. He always dreamed of a place on the water to call his own, and with his wife Paula they found that spot on Lake Florence on Anderson Island and made his dream come true. No one was a stranger to Bill, and to all he met he shared the song in his heart and a hug of epic proportions. He was loved and known for his duty to God, Family and Country in addition to his spot-on impersonation of John Wayne, his personal hero.
He is survived by his loving wife Paula of 50 years, and his two sons, Ryan Lawrence and John Patrick.
A Memorial Mass will be held at Holy Innocents Catholic Church in Duvall, WA on Saturday, February 4th, 2017 at 1:00 PM. Online directions: http://www.holyinn.org
Military Honors and Internment in honor of his committed service to the United States will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery on Monday, February 6th at 12:30 PM. Those attending this service must arrive no later than 12:15 PM. You will be directed in your vehicle to the Cortege Assembly Area for the procession. Online directions: http://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/tahoma.asp#di
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill’s name to Wreaths across America or Holy Innocents Catholic Church in support of their pantry outreach program, please follow links below:
15 Responses to “Bill L. Armstrong”
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God will now have his best singing angel! But he will be missed by us all. Love and HUGS to Paula, Ryan and John
Bill was a mountain of an angel, one of the funniest, sweetest hearts I’ve ever met. I feel very lucky to have known him and to be a part of the Armstrong family.
Love you Bill, Paula, Ry and John
The world was a better place under Bill’s watch. He will be sorely missed.
I am so saddened for the loss of this sweet joyful man who had a song for everyone he met. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to get to know Bill. He will be hugely missed. Love to Paula and family
Our hearts go out to Paula, Ryan, John and the extended Armstrong family. Bill has left us all with his legacy of kindness, enjoyment of life and what true friendship means. He will be missed by many, but his memories will always bring smiles to all of us. Hugs & Love to Paula, Ryan, John and Family.
I love you Pop
What a loving tribute to a wonderful husband and father. He will be missed by many. I will always remember him singing, telling jokes and his kindness.
Much love and support at this difficult time to John, Ryan, and my dear friend Paula.
Dear Paula,
We are so sad to hear of the loss of your husband, Bill. Please know that we are praying for you in this time of grief.
Your neighbors,
Gary and Bonnie Yourzak
Bill and I worked closely together for over 20 years. He was a great humanitarian, brilliant strategist, and a great leader. He was my mentor and taught me how to be a manager of people. Once he said to me “to be a leader you must first learn to follow”.
In this time of sorrow know he was loved and respected by all. He always had a song to sing. I was honored to have him as a friend. Love you man, Rick
What a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man who could always tell me the words to the tune that was going through my head. He is now singing with the angels. Armstrong family…may his ‘song’ sing in your hearts for the rest of your lives.
“What’s it like, Bill? What’s it like on the other side? No more aches, no more pains, now you see clearly. People think your dead. People think your gone, but your more alive, now, than you’ve ever been. I met you the first time in football, at East. I’ll met you again, on the other side. Maybe we can play catch for a bit. Love you Army. See you soon.
If you are fortunate, once in your lifetime you meet someone larger than life who then becomes a life-long friend. Bill was that someone. A friend who always filled you with joy whenever you met. Bill will always be with us. Love & Hugs for Paula, Ryan, and John
Our hearts are broken with equal parts missing you and our love for you, Bill, and our love for Paula, Ryan, and John. We will never be without our love for you and you will be there always with us, at every occasion, big, small, casual, formal. We will feel your hugs at greetings and departures, we will hear the sound of the inflections in your voice, we will hear your interjections of John Wayne impressions in our conversations. No Christmas will go by that we don’t hear your carols and especially in Latin. You are our brother-in-law, who was as close and cherished as any brother ever, our uncle, our godfather. You will always make us smile and warm our hearts. We love you always. We love Paula, Ryan, and John. Godspeed Bill.
Cheryl, Gary, and Garrett
I love you Uncle Bill, you are the best Uncle in the world and I have so many memories to cherish.
I feel like Bill became the heart and soul of our high school class after he came back to the Pacific Northwest. Bill made everyone feels special. He was so genuine and caring. What a loss for his family and everyone he knew! I am so sad and yet when I think of him, I smile. I feel so grateful to have had some time with him.