On the morning of April 15, 2014, Jim passed away at St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena, Montana with his children at his side. Jim was 91 years old.
James H. Armstrong was born on October 31, 1922 in Marmarth, North Dakota. He was the second of two sons born to Amanda Irene (Moseley) and Fred Chilton Armstrong.
Jim grew up in a small town working on the family sheep ranch located in the Badlands between Baker, Montana and Marmarth, North Dakota. He enjoyed telling stories of running the projector at the local movie theatre while in High School when he wasn’t playing basketball until he graduated from Marmarth in 1940. Jim joined the Army Air Corps in 1942 and loyally served his country until 1946. He returned to civilian life and attended the Black Hills Teachers College in Spearfish, South Dakota where he met the love of his life, Ida Marie Williams. They both graduated as Teachers in 1952 and married soon afterwards at Mount Rushmore in Pennington County, South Dakota. As they set out to make a difference in the lives of children during the school year, they also embarked on a variety of careers to fill their summers with adventure and learning. Their first adventure as a young married couple took them to Alaska to teach the Eskimo children even before Alaska had acquired statehood. They returned to teach in California where Jim worked the summers as a National Park Service Ranger at the Lava Beds National Monument in Northern California and the Bad Lands National Monument in South Dakota while working as a teacher during the school year. Jim also taught school in Stevensville, Clancy, Helena, and Toston, but the majority of his teaching career was devoted to the small country school in Montana City, where he also served many years as the Principal. To fill their summers with work and more joyful adventures, Jim and Ida moved to Townsend, Montana in 1964 where they purchased Ford’s Nursery. There they also started a small hobby farm where they taught their 3 beloved children how to understand the world of plants and animals and to respect life as Mother Nature had intended. Jim always appreciated the value of learning that went beyond the basic academics so encouraged his children to engage in as many extra curricular activities as could be fit into a 24-hour day. Rising earlier than the chickens, Jim would milk his cows, feed and water his sheep, make a fire in the wood stove and heat the pot of oatmeal for his family before embarking on the 40 mile journey to teach school in Montana City. One of his proudest accomplishments was achieving a Master’s Degree in Education from Western Montana College in Dillon, Montana. When Jim finally retired from teaching, he continued to blend his secret dirt recipe for growing the best tomatoes for the Elkhorn Nursery, work at the chicken farm and participate with a passion at the Masonic Lodge. After he lost his beloved wife Ida in 1995, he moved to Indiana with his daughter for a few years then returned to Montana and embarked on a series of camping and fishing adventures in Wyoming and Idaho with his sons and grandchildren. As an ambitious octogenarian, he traveled frequently to Alaska fishing with his eldest son and made many new friends who adopted him and enjoyed his company as “Grampa”. Many will remember Jim for his eclectic collection of Charles Russell prints and his deep respect for the traditions of the Native American culture. His many friends, children and his grandchildren will remember him for his fun loving wit, sense of humor, his love for animals and his tireless devotion to wife and family. Let it be known, everything he ever did was for the sake of his children and he did it right!
James Henry Armstrong was preceded in death by his wife Ida Marie (Williams), brother Fred M. Armstrong, parents Fred Chilton Armstrong and Amanda Irene (Moseley).
Jim is survived by his children James Marion Armstrong, Edward Fred Armstrong and his wife Carolyne, Elizabeth Marie Cunningham and her husband Bill; grandchildren James Howard Armstrong, Kristy Lynn Berry and her husband Jon, Benjamin Edward Armstrong, Cassandra Mary Hildebrandt and her husband Tim; great-grandchildren Dylan, Jackie, Jonas and Christopher; Sister-in-law Dolores Armstrong and nieces and nephews Marcia Armstrong, Fred Armstrong, Clifton Williams, Kenneth Williams, Keith Williams, and Robin Bierle.
Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held at a later date this summer. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made in Jim’s honor to the Guiding Eyes for the Blind or to your local Animal Rescue organization.
Thank you to Dr. Trapp and to the staff of Broadwater Health Center for the sincere kindness and loving care he received and especially to his old friend, Dr. Nicholas Campbell. And a very special Thank You to Holly Green, you are a true angel who walks among us on this earth.
greg hill says
Mr. Armstrong was my teacher at montana city grades 4-8. in those days, there were 27 kids in the entire school, later he even attended my wedding.
Jim was a very caring teacher and a man of great character, he was also a great story teller who will be missed by many
God bless you
Jay Tintnger says
Mr Armstrong (Army we called him because of the army stories he often told) was my teacher in 7th and 8 grade at the 2 room Montana city school. Those were 2 of the best years of my life. As a mixed up kid he showed us how to be a solid citizens an a young men. We always enjoyed his stories and listening to Paul Harvey at lunch.
God bless