Obituary for Robert 'Bob' Armstrong
Robert (Bob) Armstrong was born at the hospital at Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley on Christmas Eve 1940. He was the son of Donald Leland Armstrong and Helen (Drake) Armstrong He passed away at his home in Big Timber on September 18, 2022 with his precious dogs beside his chair.
Bob spent his childhood in Livingston and Paradise Valley on the ranch at Mill Creek. He graduated from Park County High School in 1958. He joined the Navy in 1959 served as a Hospital Corpsman until 1963. Bob was very proud of his military service and relished the memories that service gave him. He received a commendation for his actions during a mass casualty evacuation while serving in Camp Pendleton.
After discharge from the Navy he followed in the footsteps of his father and uncles working in Yellowstone National Park with the National Park Service. It was at Old Faithful that he met his soon to be spouse in 1964. He married Yvonne Russell in Three Forks on October 9, 1965. While they lived in Livingston they had 2 children, Donna in October of 1966 and Dennis in June of 1969.
Bob was an avid outdoorsman, taking a lot of pleasure in the camping, fishing and hunting throughout his life. He kept his family well fed with deer, elk and the fish that he didn’t like to eat. Thankfully, Yvonne and the kids love fish. Everyone who knew Bob knew he could be pretty stubborn. One of his favorite sayings was, “I’ve lived in the best of times.” He also had a great love all kinds of music which can be attested to by his collection of records, tapes and CDs. Anything from classical, opera, to country and rock and roll was in his wheelhouse. Bob & Yvonne were often front and center at concerts including Mannheim Steamroller, Statler Brothers, and Kenny Rogers to name a few. This included several years of square dancing in Forsyth, Miles City and Big Timber.
Bob started working on the railroad in 1965 and worked for the signal department as a crew member from North Dakota to Paradise, MT. He later held the position of signal maintainer in the communities of Hysham and Forsyth. He held this position until an on the job injury at Hathaway forced his resignation from the railroad. He worked as maintenance supervisor for the Forsyth School District until 1998. During this time they bought a small piece of ground north of Rosebud where the family was able to enjoy the hard work of raising livestock and living in the country with all of its advantages.
In 2000 Bob & Yvonne moved to Big Timber, and Bob retired. He took up a lifelong passion of woodworking. He made lovely wood projects that took him to craft shows and farmers markets all over the state. He thoroughly enjoyed showing off his projects and the comradeship that came with interaction with the public. He participated in the Big Timber Farmers Market for 20 years and was able to set up at the first market in 2022 before illness made it impossible to participate. He participated in Livingston for approximately 15 years and was able to reconnect with old friends and classmates during those times.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Leland and Helen. He is survived by his wife Yvonne of almost 57 years, daughter Donna Negaard of Belgrade, son Dennis (Dorry) of Billings and grandchildren Monica (PJ) Negaard of Maple Falls, WA, Clarissa (Ryan) Negaard of Belgrade and Brian Negaard of Bozeman and great grandson Marcus of Belgrade. He is also survived by his brother Clark Armstrong of Livingston, his sister Jean (George) Boe of Billings along with niece Shannon Boe and Nephew Chris Boe and his family.
During this last illness there cannot be enough thanks for the entire Hearts and Hands Hospice team, the ambulance crew and the Pioneer Medical Center with their loving care, support and kind words.
Cremation has taken place and a memorial service will be held 10:00 am Saturday October 8 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Big Timber, with burial to follow at Shorthill Cemetery in Paradise Valley. To leave condolences for the family, please visit www.stenbergfuneralhome.com
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Previous Events
Memorial Service
Saturday
8
Oct
10:00 AM
- 12:00 PM
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
910 McLeod Street
Big Timber, MT 59011
Graveside Services
Saturday
8
Oct
2:00 PM
- 3:00 PM
Shorthill Cemetery
Coordinates: 45.45585, -110.57716
Paradise Valley, MT 59047
Cemetery Details
Location
Shorthill Cemetery
Coordinates: 45.45585, -110.57716
Paradise Valley, MT 59047
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