Leonard Armstrong, 88, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., passed away peacefully at Dartmouth Hitchcock’s Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care on August 31, 2023, surrounded by family.
Leonard was born on April 2, 1935, in Troy, Vt., to Guy Leno Armstrong and Dorris Martha Percy Armstrong. His family moved to Newport, Vt., when Leonard was in grade school. After graduating from Newport High School in 1953, Leonard joined the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a C-47 crew chief and aircraft engineer. His military career brought him to stations in New York, Texas, England, Nevada, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Greece (his favorite) and Michigan. He completed missions across Europe and Northern Africa and served in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966.
While stationed in England, Leonard married June Lilian Gradley on July 14, 1956, and they recently celebrated their 67th anniversary.
Leonard retired from the military in 1974 at the rank of M/SGT and moved his family to Danville, Vt. After his military career, he worked in masonry at Vemco Homes and at Vermont Tap and Die. His military service and extraordinary work ethic is an inspiration to his family.
Leonard is survived by his wife, June, of St. Johnsbury, Vt., and their four children and their spouses: Russell and Sabrina Armstrong of Corpus Christi, Texas; Linda Armstrong and Bob Laird of Williston, Vt.; Allison and Jim Hill of Mission Viejo, Calif.; and Patrick and Jennifer Armstrong of Orem, Utah.
Leonard is also survived by his 16 admiring grandchildren and their spouses and by his great-grandchildren: Nathan and Mayra Armstrong with Lucas, Aydan and Calvin; Gavin and Lucia Armstrong with Leonardo and Arthur; Caleb and Gentry Armstrong with Lacey and Addie; Madisyn and Ian Nelson with Lilian and Billie; Antonia and Derek Trono with Traeson and Mia; Wesley Armstrong-Laird; Lukas Armstrong-Laird; Shenley and Brett Puterbaugh with Joshua, Eliya, Lydia and Edyn; Raegan and David Witt with Layla, Abby, Harper and June; Parker and Karoline Searing with Koa and Kai; Kyle and Emily Armstrong; Kiara Armstrong; Keenan and Katelin Armstrong with Haven; Jessica and Nick Ulmer with Taylor, Alison and Nicholas; Katie and Ben Schultz with Ruby, Lulu, Elliott, Jimmy and Lena; and Cody and Berkeley Hill with Claudius, Francis, Johannes and Sam.
In addition, Leonard is survived by his siblings Roger Armstrong and his wife, Isabelle, and William Armstrong; sisters-in-law, May Aunchman and Doreen and her husband, Ivan Rich; Bruce Searing; many loving nieces and nephews; and his family of friends at Brightlook Apartments.
Leonard was predeceased by his parents, Guy and Dorris Armstrong; his in-laws, Richard and Rosina Gradley; his siblings and their spouses: Vera Armstrong, Gilbert and Hazel Armstrong, Barbara and Leon Judd, Beverly and Clayton Hoadley, and Lorene and Bill Graham; and his brothers-in-law Arthur Aunchman and Dick Gradley and his wife, Joan.
Whether we knew him as Leonard, Len, Dad, Grampy, Weepa or Uncle, he enriched and inspired our lives in countless ways and constantly modeled for us the importance of kindness to all. Leonard enjoyed the simple things in life, such as his daily social trip to White’s Market for the newspaper, chats and any good deals he could find; completing his daily sudoku and crossword puzzles; puttering in the garden; walking in the woods, having his hair cut every three weeks; reading westerns; and beating all comers at Scrabble. Leonard elevated the gift of gab to an art form, as he would talk with anyone, entertaining friends and strangers alike with stories and his latest jokes, some of which were actually funny.
We are saddened by Leonard’s passing but feel so lucky that he was ours to love and learn from. He is irreplaceable but lives on in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who he so deeply shaped.
Family and friends are invited to celebrate Leonard on October 18, 2023, 2-4 p.m., at the Elks Club in St. Johnsbury, Vt. Interment with military honors will take place privately at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Randolph Center. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at knightfuneralhomes.com.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2023.