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Robert Armstrong
In Memory of
Robert James
Armstrong
1923 - 2018
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Obituary for Robert James Armstrong

Robert James  Armstrong
Robert J. Armstrong – Plymouth, Massachusetts

Robert James (Bob) Armstrong, a retired businessman and homebuilder and former aeronautical engineer, died at his home in Plymouth, Massachusetts on March 14. He was 95. He is survived by Henriette (Messier), his loving wife of more than 73 years, and by eight children, Susan (Cooke), James, Paul, Alice, Ellen, Donna, Charles and Thomas, 13 grandchildren, and 12 great grandchildren.

Mr. Armstrong was born in Boston in 1923, the only child of Mary (Burke) Armstrong of Boston and William J. Armstrong, of Williamstown, Missouri.

A graduate of English High School in Boston and Aero Technical Institute in Glendale,
CA, he also completed courses at the University of Bridgeport, the University of Maryland, and Bentley College.

While humor editor of his high school yearbook, Mr. Armstrong put down aeronautical engineering as his career goal, and Pearl Harbor found him designing flying boats for Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford, CT. Soon he crossed the street to sister company Chance Vought and engine-modification work on the Corsair fighter plane, but not before witnessing Igor Sikorsky perfect and fly the first modern helicopter. Still in fixed-wing aircraft-design at Baltimore’s Glenn L Martin Company, Mr. Armstrong shifted to work on helicopters at Bell Aircraft in Buffalo, NY where he supervised the interior design of the prototype of the first anti-submarine helicopter, a project that involved close cooperation with the Navy Department offices in Washington DC, and then at Kaman Aircraft in Bloomfield, CT.

In 1952 he left the aircraft industry to join his father in home construction and land
development on the South Shore of Massachusetts, turning his engineering skills to
home design. He settled with his family in Abington and then Rockland, before moving to Plymouth in 1980.

Mr. Armstrong served as a director of the Home Owners Warranty Council of Eastern
Massachusetts, the Builders Association of Greater Massachusetts, and was a longstanding member of the National Association of Home Builders. He was an active member of the Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus, was elected to the Rockland Planning Board and Finance Committees, and was a corporator and director of Abington Savings Bank before it was acquired by Santander Bank.

In 1985 Mr. Armstrong and his wife built a home in Port Charlotte, FL where several
of their “snowbird” friends had set down roots. Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong were active members of each parish in which they worshipped, and were founding members of Port Charlotte’s San Antonio Roman Catholic Church

Mr. Armstrong was known for his generosity, humor and sense of curiosity, and for the elaborate bedtime tales woven from his fertile imagination. He was a mentor to many, from his little leaguers to bank presidents. He was also a careful scribe of daily events, and leaves behind a diary faithfully kept since the age of 16.

During his final illness Mr. Armstrong was blessed by the prayers and visits from members of St. Bonaventure Church of Plymouth and by the dedicated services provided by Cranberry Hospice in Plymouth, as well as the love and attention of his caretakers and many friends and family members.

A funeral mass will be held at 10 AM on Saturday, March 24, at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church, 803 State Road, in Plymouth, MA. A celebration of his life is planned for this summer in Plymouth. A celebration of his life is planned for this summer in Plymouth. Memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities Housing, Sharon Aragona, COO, 1000 Pinebrook Rd. Venice, FL 34284; Cranberry Hospice in Plymouth MA; or a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be shared at www.bartlett1620.com.
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