Helen (Miller) Armstrong, 107, died Thursday, June 26, 2003. She was born Dec. 10, 1895, southeast of Lowry City, MO, to Calvin Melanctheon and Laura (Gardner) Miller.
She graduated from Lowry City High School, then attended what is now Southwest Missouri State University.
She taught in the Lowry City area three years prior to her marriage to Arthur E. "Art" Armstrong on March 31, 1917, who preceded her in death after 49 years of marriage. He was owner/operator of the Armstrong Produce Feed and Seed Store.
At age 76, she was the Lowry City Centennial Queen.
She was an active member of the United Methodist Church and taught Sunday school for many years. She was District Deputy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, and a member of the Lowry City Study Club, Community Betterment Club, Methodist Women's Circle and the St. Clair County Republican Club.
She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Lauralee Fugazzi; and granddaughter, Mary Ann Banning; sisters, Eula Cox, Birdie Showalter and Willie Fugitt, one brother, Douglas Miller, and two step-brothers, Clifton and Dale Herndon.
Her survivors include a daughter, Mary Louise Banning of Blue Springs, MO; two grandsons; and two step-sons, William and Christopher Douglas, Weatherford, TX.
Memorial services were June 29 at the Lowry City United Methodist Church. Cremation, with interment in the Lowry City Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Sheldon Goodrich Funeral Home, Osceola, MO.
INDEPENDENCE (MO) EXAMINER, 08/Jul/2003
~~~~~
Helen has seen a lot in 107 years on Earth
Let me introduce you to Helen Armstrong, a resident at the Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs. Helen is blind in one eye. But she sees perfectly out of the other. Helen is hard of hearing, but she can hear if you talk into her ear. Helen walks with the aid of a walker; only to steady herself.
Helen Armstrong will celebrate her 107th birthday at Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs on Dec. 10, 2002. Other than that, her health is excellent.
How healthy is Helen, a Waterford resident for just over a year?
When I asked that question to Rhonda Vester, activity coordinator at the Waterford Home, I was amazed at what she told me about Helen, the home's oldest resident. But I am not alone in my amazement. All who know her says she is an amazing woman. Amazing in that she is in excellent condition for her age. Amazing in that she takes no medication and hasn't for some 40 or so years. Not even an aspirin? No! Not even an aspirin. Not even medication for high blood pressure? No! Her blood pressure is perfect. How about heart medication? She doesn't need it either. Her ticker is in good condition. Except for the fact that she is blind in one eye and hard of hearing, there's nothing wrong with her, the Waterford activity coordinator says.
Her doctor examines her every month, and he says: "No medication is necessary."
This and the fact that Helen is not a worrier may account for her longevity, which spans parts of three centuries.
The lifelong Missouri resident will celebrate her 107th birthday on Tuesday, Dec. 10. She will greet friends and relatives, as well as Waterford staff and residents, at aN open house.
What is also amazing about Helen is her "unbelievable memory." "I can remember when my mother died. I was 6 years old," Helen said in her soft, gravely voice.
"What else do you remember about your mother's death," Rhonda said loudly, putting her mouth near Helen's ear. "I remember neighbors coming to the funeral," she replied, sitting in a comfortable chair in her room wearing slacks, a white blouse and a colorful sweater.
She also remembers meeting President Eisenhower on a visit to Washington, D.C.; one of her most memorable experiences. After all, Ike wasn't just any ol' president. He was her all-time favorite. She just liked him, she says, because he came from Kansas.
As for Harry Truman, she liked him, too. But she didn't vote for him. "He was a nice man," said the lifelong Republican, but he had one big drawback. "He was a Democrat."
Helen loves poetry. And over thee years, she has memorized poems and Scripture verses, which she loves to recite. When Mary Lou Banning, Helen's 80-year-old daughter, asked her to recite one of her favorite poems, she launched into "Abou Ben Adhem," followed by "The Value of a Smile." Except for stumbling over the last two verses of "Abou Ben Adhem," Helen recited the poems perfectly and with diction, just as a former schoolteacher should.
Helen attended one year of college at Springfield Teachers College, which is now Southwest Missouri State University. She taught school before marrying Arthur Edward Armstrong on March 31, 1917. Arthur died in 1960.
Helen doesn't remember the first time she ever saw an automobile or rode in one, but she does remember courting Arthur in a buggy pulled by Rex the horse. They still had Rex when they married and moved into a house on the outskirts of Lowry, MO, where they raised two daughters.
Helen lived there until she was 103. In 1999, she moved to Blue Springs to live with her daughter, Mary Lou Banning. Her other daughter, Laura Lee Fugazzi, died in 1980.
Helen was born between Lowry City and Osceola, MO, on Dec. 10, 1895, living most of her life in Lowry City. There she attended the Methodist Church, where she taught the women's Sunday school class off and on for some 30 to 40 years. She also was active in the community as a member of the Lowry City Study Club and the Community Betterment Club.
And one of the highlights of her life was being crowned queen of Lowry City's centennial celebration in the 1970s. Her daughter, Mary Lou, says she still has the centennial crown and the swimsuit she wore while attending college. Both will be displayed at the birthday open house.
Helen also served as a district deputy of the Order of Eastern Star.
Because of her hearing problem, Helen spends a lot of time reading in the sitting room. She likes it there, because the lighting is better.
What does she read? Any thing she can get her hands on. She likes to read The Examiner and other newspapers from cover to cover, but not without a dictionary by her side. "If she comes across a word she doesn't know," she'll look it up," her daughter says.
What kind of a person is Helen? Rhonda Vester says she is a "wonderful loving lady" who is "very intelligent" and has a "sense of humor." She is "quite the go-getter, quite the inspiration and quite the encourager." Mary Lou says her mother is not a worrier and takes life as it is. "She just hits things head-on and goes from there."
BLUE SPRINGS (MO) EXAMINER, 19/Nov/2002
She graduated from Lowry City High School, then attended what is now Southwest Missouri State University.
She taught in the Lowry City area three years prior to her marriage to Arthur E. "Art" Armstrong on March 31, 1917, who preceded her in death after 49 years of marriage. He was owner/operator of the Armstrong Produce Feed and Seed Store.
At age 76, she was the Lowry City Centennial Queen.
She was an active member of the United Methodist Church and taught Sunday school for many years. She was District Deputy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, and a member of the Lowry City Study Club, Community Betterment Club, Methodist Women's Circle and the St. Clair County Republican Club.
She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Lauralee Fugazzi; and granddaughter, Mary Ann Banning; sisters, Eula Cox, Birdie Showalter and Willie Fugitt, one brother, Douglas Miller, and two step-brothers, Clifton and Dale Herndon.
Her survivors include a daughter, Mary Louise Banning of Blue Springs, MO; two grandsons; and two step-sons, William and Christopher Douglas, Weatherford, TX.
Memorial services were June 29 at the Lowry City United Methodist Church. Cremation, with interment in the Lowry City Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Sheldon Goodrich Funeral Home, Osceola, MO.
INDEPENDENCE (MO) EXAMINER, 08/Jul/2003
~~~~~
Helen has seen a lot in 107 years on Earth
Let me introduce you to Helen Armstrong, a resident at the Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs. Helen is blind in one eye. But she sees perfectly out of the other. Helen is hard of hearing, but she can hear if you talk into her ear. Helen walks with the aid of a walker; only to steady herself.
Helen Armstrong will celebrate her 107th birthday at Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs on Dec. 10, 2002. Other than that, her health is excellent.
How healthy is Helen, a Waterford resident for just over a year?
When I asked that question to Rhonda Vester, activity coordinator at the Waterford Home, I was amazed at what she told me about Helen, the home's oldest resident. But I am not alone in my amazement. All who know her says she is an amazing woman. Amazing in that she is in excellent condition for her age. Amazing in that she takes no medication and hasn't for some 40 or so years. Not even an aspirin? No! Not even an aspirin. Not even medication for high blood pressure? No! Her blood pressure is perfect. How about heart medication? She doesn't need it either. Her ticker is in good condition. Except for the fact that she is blind in one eye and hard of hearing, there's nothing wrong with her, the Waterford activity coordinator says.
Her doctor examines her every month, and he says: "No medication is necessary."
This and the fact that Helen is not a worrier may account for her longevity, which spans parts of three centuries.
The lifelong Missouri resident will celebrate her 107th birthday on Tuesday, Dec. 10. She will greet friends and relatives, as well as Waterford staff and residents, at aN open house.
What is also amazing about Helen is her "unbelievable memory." "I can remember when my mother died. I was 6 years old," Helen said in her soft, gravely voice.
"What else do you remember about your mother's death," Rhonda said loudly, putting her mouth near Helen's ear. "I remember neighbors coming to the funeral," she replied, sitting in a comfortable chair in her room wearing slacks, a white blouse and a colorful sweater.
She also remembers meeting President Eisenhower on a visit to Washington, D.C.; one of her most memorable experiences. After all, Ike wasn't just any ol' president. He was her all-time favorite. She just liked him, she says, because he came from Kansas.
As for Harry Truman, she liked him, too. But she didn't vote for him. "He was a nice man," said the lifelong Republican, but he had one big drawback. "He was a Democrat."
Helen loves poetry. And over thee years, she has memorized poems and Scripture verses, which she loves to recite. When Mary Lou Banning, Helen's 80-year-old daughter, asked her to recite one of her favorite poems, she launched into "Abou Ben Adhem," followed by "The Value of a Smile." Except for stumbling over the last two verses of "Abou Ben Adhem," Helen recited the poems perfectly and with diction, just as a former schoolteacher should.
Helen attended one year of college at Springfield Teachers College, which is now Southwest Missouri State University. She taught school before marrying Arthur Edward Armstrong on March 31, 1917. Arthur died in 1960.
Helen doesn't remember the first time she ever saw an automobile or rode in one, but she does remember courting Arthur in a buggy pulled by Rex the horse. They still had Rex when they married and moved into a house on the outskirts of Lowry, MO, where they raised two daughters.
Helen lived there until she was 103. In 1999, she moved to Blue Springs to live with her daughter, Mary Lou Banning. Her other daughter, Laura Lee Fugazzi, died in 1980.
Helen was born between Lowry City and Osceola, MO, on Dec. 10, 1895, living most of her life in Lowry City. There she attended the Methodist Church, where she taught the women's Sunday school class off and on for some 30 to 40 years. She also was active in the community as a member of the Lowry City Study Club and the Community Betterment Club.
And one of the highlights of her life was being crowned queen of Lowry City's centennial celebration in the 1970s. Her daughter, Mary Lou, says she still has the centennial crown and the swimsuit she wore while attending college. Both will be displayed at the birthday open house.
Helen also served as a district deputy of the Order of Eastern Star.
Because of her hearing problem, Helen spends a lot of time reading in the sitting room. She likes it there, because the lighting is better.
What does she read? Any thing she can get her hands on. She likes to read The Examiner and other newspapers from cover to cover, but not without a dictionary by her side. "If she comes across a word she doesn't know," she'll look it up," her daughter says.
What kind of a person is Helen? Rhonda Vester says she is a "wonderful loving lady" who is "very intelligent" and has a "sense of humor." She is "quite the go-getter, quite the inspiration and quite the encourager." Mary Lou says her mother is not a worrier and takes life as it is. "She just hits things head-on and goes from there."
BLUE SPRINGS (MO) EXAMINER, 19/Nov/2002
Helen (Miller) Armstrong, 107, died Thursday, June 26, 2003. She was born Dec. 10, 1895, southeast of Lowry City, MO, to Calvin Melanctheon and Laura (Gardner) Miller.
She graduated from Lowry City High School, then attended what is now Southwest Missouri State University.
She taught in the Lowry City area three years prior to her marriage to Arthur E. "Art" Armstrong on March 31, 1917, who preceded her in death after 49 years of marriage. He was owner/operator of the Armstrong Produce Feed and Seed Store.
At age 76, she was the Lowry City Centennial Queen.
She was an active member of the United Methodist Church and taught Sunday school for many years. She was District Deputy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, and a member of the Lowry City Study Club, Community Betterment Club, Methodist Women's Circle and the St. Clair County Republican Club.
She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Lauralee Fugazzi; and granddaughter, Mary Ann Banning; sisters, Eula Cox, Birdie Showalter and Willie Fugitt, one brother, Douglas Miller, and two step-brothers, Clifton and Dale Herndon.
Her survivors include a daughter, Mary Louise Banning of Blue Springs, MO; two grandsons; and two step-sons, William and Christopher Douglas, Weatherford, TX.
Memorial services were June 29 at the Lowry City United Methodist Church. Cremation, with interment in the Lowry City Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Sheldon Goodrich Funeral Home, Osceola, MO.
INDEPENDENCE (MO) EXAMINER, 08/Jul/2003
~~~~~
Helen has seen a lot in 107 years on Earth
Let me introduce you to Helen Armstrong, a resident at the Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs. Helen is blind in one eye. But she sees perfectly out of the other. Helen is hard of hearing, but she can hear if you talk into her ear. Helen walks with the aid of a walker; only to steady herself.
Helen Armstrong will celebrate her 107th birthday at Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs on Dec. 10, 2002. Other than that, her health is excellent.
How healthy is Helen, a Waterford resident for just over a year?
When I asked that question to Rhonda Vester, activity coordinator at the Waterford Home, I was amazed at what she told me about Helen, the home's oldest resident. But I am not alone in my amazement. All who know her says she is an amazing woman. Amazing in that she is in excellent condition for her age. Amazing in that she takes no medication and hasn't for some 40 or so years. Not even an aspirin? No! Not even an aspirin. Not even medication for high blood pressure? No! Her blood pressure is perfect. How about heart medication? She doesn't need it either. Her ticker is in good condition. Except for the fact that she is blind in one eye and hard of hearing, there's nothing wrong with her, the Waterford activity coordinator says.
Her doctor examines her every month, and he says: "No medication is necessary."
This and the fact that Helen is not a worrier may account for her longevity, which spans parts of three centuries.
The lifelong Missouri resident will celebrate her 107th birthday on Tuesday, Dec. 10. She will greet friends and relatives, as well as Waterford staff and residents, at aN open house.
What is also amazing about Helen is her "unbelievable memory." "I can remember when my mother died. I was 6 years old," Helen said in her soft, gravely voice.
"What else do you remember about your mother's death," Rhonda said loudly, putting her mouth near Helen's ear. "I remember neighbors coming to the funeral," she replied, sitting in a comfortable chair in her room wearing slacks, a white blouse and a colorful sweater.
She also remembers meeting President Eisenhower on a visit to Washington, D.C.; one of her most memorable experiences. After all, Ike wasn't just any ol' president. He was her all-time favorite. She just liked him, she says, because he came from Kansas.
As for Harry Truman, she liked him, too. But she didn't vote for him. "He was a nice man," said the lifelong Republican, but he had one big drawback. "He was a Democrat."
Helen loves poetry. And over thee years, she has memorized poems and Scripture verses, which she loves to recite. When Mary Lou Banning, Helen's 80-year-old daughter, asked her to recite one of her favorite poems, she launched into "Abou Ben Adhem," followed by "The Value of a Smile." Except for stumbling over the last two verses of "Abou Ben Adhem," Helen recited the poems perfectly and with diction, just as a former schoolteacher should.
Helen attended one year of college at Springfield Teachers College, which is now Southwest Missouri State University. She taught school before marrying Arthur Edward Armstrong on March 31, 1917. Arthur died in 1960.
Helen doesn't remember the first time she ever saw an automobile or rode in one, but she does remember courting Arthur in a buggy pulled by Rex the horse. They still had Rex when they married and moved into a house on the outskirts of Lowry, MO, where they raised two daughters.
Helen lived there until she was 103. In 1999, she moved to Blue Springs to live with her daughter, Mary Lou Banning. Her other daughter, Laura Lee Fugazzi, died in 1980.
Helen was born between Lowry City and Osceola, MO, on Dec. 10, 1895, living most of her life in Lowry City. There she attended the Methodist Church, where she taught the women's Sunday school class off and on for some 30 to 40 years. She also was active in the community as a member of the Lowry City Study Club and the Community Betterment Club.
And one of the highlights of her life was being crowned queen of Lowry City's centennial celebration in the 1970s. Her daughter, Mary Lou, says she still has the centennial crown and the swimsuit she wore while attending college. Both will be displayed at the birthday open house.
Helen also served as a district deputy of the Order of Eastern Star.
Because of her hearing problem, Helen spends a lot of time reading in the sitting room. She likes it there, because the lighting is better.
What does she read? Any thing she can get her hands on. She likes to read The Examiner and other newspapers from cover to cover, but not without a dictionary by her side. "If she comes across a word she doesn't know," she'll look it up," her daughter says.
What kind of a person is Helen? Rhonda Vester says she is a "wonderful loving lady" who is "very intelligent" and has a "sense of humor." She is "quite the go-getter, quite the inspiration and quite the encourager." Mary Lou says her mother is not a worrier and takes life as it is. "She just hits things head-on and goes from there."
BLUE SPRINGS (MO) EXAMINER, 19/Nov/2002
She graduated from Lowry City High School, then attended what is now Southwest Missouri State University.
She taught in the Lowry City area three years prior to her marriage to Arthur E. "Art" Armstrong on March 31, 1917, who preceded her in death after 49 years of marriage. He was owner/operator of the Armstrong Produce Feed and Seed Store.
At age 76, she was the Lowry City Centennial Queen.
She was an active member of the United Methodist Church and taught Sunday school for many years. She was District Deputy Grand Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, and a member of the Lowry City Study Club, Community Betterment Club, Methodist Women's Circle and the St. Clair County Republican Club.
She was also preceded in death by a daughter, Lauralee Fugazzi; and granddaughter, Mary Ann Banning; sisters, Eula Cox, Birdie Showalter and Willie Fugitt, one brother, Douglas Miller, and two step-brothers, Clifton and Dale Herndon.
Her survivors include a daughter, Mary Louise Banning of Blue Springs, MO; two grandsons; and two step-sons, William and Christopher Douglas, Weatherford, TX.
Memorial services were June 29 at the Lowry City United Methodist Church. Cremation, with interment in the Lowry City Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Sheldon Goodrich Funeral Home, Osceola, MO.
INDEPENDENCE (MO) EXAMINER, 08/Jul/2003
~~~~~
Helen has seen a lot in 107 years on Earth
Let me introduce you to Helen Armstrong, a resident at the Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs. Helen is blind in one eye. But she sees perfectly out of the other. Helen is hard of hearing, but she can hear if you talk into her ear. Helen walks with the aid of a walker; only to steady herself.
Helen Armstrong will celebrate her 107th birthday at Waterford Ladies Home in Blue Springs on Dec. 10, 2002. Other than that, her health is excellent.
How healthy is Helen, a Waterford resident for just over a year?
When I asked that question to Rhonda Vester, activity coordinator at the Waterford Home, I was amazed at what she told me about Helen, the home's oldest resident. But I am not alone in my amazement. All who know her says she is an amazing woman. Amazing in that she is in excellent condition for her age. Amazing in that she takes no medication and hasn't for some 40 or so years. Not even an aspirin? No! Not even an aspirin. Not even medication for high blood pressure? No! Her blood pressure is perfect. How about heart medication? She doesn't need it either. Her ticker is in good condition. Except for the fact that she is blind in one eye and hard of hearing, there's nothing wrong with her, the Waterford activity coordinator says.
Her doctor examines her every month, and he says: "No medication is necessary."
This and the fact that Helen is not a worrier may account for her longevity, which spans parts of three centuries.
The lifelong Missouri resident will celebrate her 107th birthday on Tuesday, Dec. 10. She will greet friends and relatives, as well as Waterford staff and residents, at aN open house.
What is also amazing about Helen is her "unbelievable memory." "I can remember when my mother died. I was 6 years old," Helen said in her soft, gravely voice.
"What else do you remember about your mother's death," Rhonda said loudly, putting her mouth near Helen's ear. "I remember neighbors coming to the funeral," she replied, sitting in a comfortable chair in her room wearing slacks, a white blouse and a colorful sweater.
She also remembers meeting President Eisenhower on a visit to Washington, D.C.; one of her most memorable experiences. After all, Ike wasn't just any ol' president. He was her all-time favorite. She just liked him, she says, because he came from Kansas.
As for Harry Truman, she liked him, too. But she didn't vote for him. "He was a nice man," said the lifelong Republican, but he had one big drawback. "He was a Democrat."
Helen loves poetry. And over thee years, she has memorized poems and Scripture verses, which she loves to recite. When Mary Lou Banning, Helen's 80-year-old daughter, asked her to recite one of her favorite poems, she launched into "Abou Ben Adhem," followed by "The Value of a Smile." Except for stumbling over the last two verses of "Abou Ben Adhem," Helen recited the poems perfectly and with diction, just as a former schoolteacher should.
Helen attended one year of college at Springfield Teachers College, which is now Southwest Missouri State University. She taught school before marrying Arthur Edward Armstrong on March 31, 1917. Arthur died in 1960.
Helen doesn't remember the first time she ever saw an automobile or rode in one, but she does remember courting Arthur in a buggy pulled by Rex the horse. They still had Rex when they married and moved into a house on the outskirts of Lowry, MO, where they raised two daughters.
Helen lived there until she was 103. In 1999, she moved to Blue Springs to live with her daughter, Mary Lou Banning. Her other daughter, Laura Lee Fugazzi, died in 1980.
Helen was born between Lowry City and Osceola, MO, on Dec. 10, 1895, living most of her life in Lowry City. There she attended the Methodist Church, where she taught the women's Sunday school class off and on for some 30 to 40 years. She also was active in the community as a member of the Lowry City Study Club and the Community Betterment Club.
And one of the highlights of her life was being crowned queen of Lowry City's centennial celebration in the 1970s. Her daughter, Mary Lou, says she still has the centennial crown and the swimsuit she wore while attending college. Both will be displayed at the birthday open house.
Helen also served as a district deputy of the Order of Eastern Star.
Because of her hearing problem, Helen spends a lot of time reading in the sitting room. She likes it there, because the lighting is better.
What does she read? Any thing she can get her hands on. She likes to read The Examiner and other newspapers from cover to cover, but not without a dictionary by her side. "If she comes across a word she doesn't know," she'll look it up," her daughter says.
What kind of a person is Helen? Rhonda Vester says she is a "wonderful loving lady" who is "very intelligent" and has a "sense of humor." She is "quite the go-getter, quite the inspiration and quite the encourager." Mary Lou says her mother is not a worrier and takes life as it is. "She just hits things head-on and goes from there."
BLUE SPRINGS (MO) EXAMINER, 19/Nov/2002
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