Mrs. Darlene Ethel Mae Boyd Armstrong

Born on May 5, 1932, Long Beach, CA as Darlene Ethel Mae Boyd

Darlene Ethel Mae Armstrong was passionate about learning and teaching, supporting and engaging in the arts, creating her own quilts, clothing, and rose garden, and encouraging and caring for her entire family. Everything Darlene worked on was accomplished with the highest standards of excellence and a perfection in implementation.

She enjoyed her early childhood schooling and growing up in Long Beach. Then in 1946, after her father, Albert J Boyd, retired as a firefighter, her family including her mother, Edith R (Sands) Boyd and younger brother, Albert J Boyd, moved to the small, country town of Valley Center, CA.

On her first day of high school (1946) Darlene met the one and only love of her life, Donald B Armstrong, on the bus ride to Escondido High School. They began their courtship with adventures of hiking, going to the beach, listening to classical music, swimming at his family’s pool, and exploring San Diego county in Don’s Model A convertible.

Over 73 years of marriage Darlene and Don created a wonderful life as a loving, dedicated, capable and strong team, building two family homes in which they raised four children and supporting them in all ways. They each contributed greatly to the school community through Darlene’s teaching and Don’s electrical contracting business. They supported both sets of parents as they more care and helped them stay in Valley Center.

She loved learning and was a highly successful student. At Escondido High School, Escondido, Darlene took a rigorous, college prep course load and was involved in extracurricular activities such as sports, Spanish club president, song leader, and French and chemistry club member.

In 1951, Darlene completed one year at Palomar Junior College. In 1961, after ten years of caring for and raising their three children at home, she returned to college, while juggling her family responsibilities. She graduated from Palomar College and then continued her studies at San Diego State University, dedicating long hours of study, preparation, and student teaching. In 1965, after four years, Darlene fulfilled her goals of excelling in her studies, completing her bachelor's degree in education and earning her multi-subject elementary school teaching credential.

Darlene was a lifelong learner who voraciously devoured thousands of books, often focusing on all the works by an excellent author. She amassed a large collection of books and she borrowed hundreds of books from the local libraries. Everywhere Darlene went she carried along her current literary adventure. Family and friends appreciated her eager sharing of special books and she inspired many to become avid readers.

Darlene also enjoyed traveling to learn and appreciate cultures and art and give her children travel adventures. One of their first trips as a couple was to Costa Rica. She and Don took the family on special summer camping trips across our country, exploring national and state parks from Washington DC to Florida. Another summer they camped in the southwest to explore the ruins and history of indigenous cultures. Darlene was inspired to explore much of California to better teach her 4th grade students and give both them and her own children a sense of place in this amazing state. Darlene and Don facilitated a very special trip that lasted two months as they roughed it in British Columbia and then traveled by ferry along the Alaskan Inside Passage. Later Darlene traveled with her youngest daughter Renee, to Europe, the Galápagos Islands, Hawaii, Italy and Mexico. One of her peak experiences was a trip to Japan with her mentor, Hiroko Ogawa, to study Japanese textile arts and culture. She enjoyed traveling with her sister-in-law Helen Schreider to the Netherlands, Greece, and Morocco.

Darlene and Don supported and encouraged world travel by Helen and Frank Schreider (members of the National Geographic and the Explorer’s Club). Darlene edited and typed two of their travel book manuscripts. She sewed travel clothing for Helen while Don helped restore two amphibious jeeps for their adventures.

As Darlene raised her four children she patiently encouraged, inspired their learning and taught them how to study, set high standards of excellence and develop self-discipline. She was devoted and gave unwavering support and encouragement to her children throughout her life.

Darlene began her elementary education teaching career of 23 ½ years in 1965 at the Valley Center Union School District teaching 4th grade. She thoroughly loved teaching and marveled that she would get paid to do this valuable and special work. Darlene was deeply committed to the success and education of her students in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade because she knew how important the basic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics would be to help her approx 700 students be able to learn, progress, and live successful lives. She went far beyond the call of duty to help her students progress in all academic areas including the arts. Over her career Darlene was hard-working, absolutely dedicated, and very effective. She retired from the district in June of 1991.

Darlene was passionate in her love, appreciation, involvement and support of all four areas of the arts.

As a child Darlene wanted to learn to play the piano, however she had to wait until high school to begin her study and learning about the arts. She and Don shared a love of music. They listened to classical music, musicals, and opera. At Palomar Junior College they took a voice class together and sang duets (soprano and tenor) at local events. Then when her children were five years old Darlene dedicated herself to taking all four children to piano lessons as long as they were interested from 1958-1985.

Darlene and Don enriched their children’s lives by playing classical music recordings during the day and as they went to sleep. On Saturdays the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts played inside and outside the house so everyone could listen to the opera. Darlene was thrilled that all four of their children love music: one has a degree in piano performance, two have taught piano lessons, another sings in an outstanding acapella choir, and all four love listening to diverse kinds of music.

Darlene became passionate about opera because these works combine all four of the arts; theater, dance, music, and visual arts. For thirty years to the present she attended the San Diego Opera season performances. For fifteen years to the present Darlene attended the season of Live at the Met movie theater performances. Over these many decades Darlene had become an patron of the opera. She inspired and shared this love with family and friends.

For twenty-four years (1994-2018) Darlene supported the local arts world by being a volunteer usher for about ten performances per year at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. www.artcenter.org

Darlene appreciated and encouraged the visual arts of her sister-in-law Helen. Darlene loved the colorful oil paintings and spontaneous drawings inspired by Helen and Frank Schreider’s worldwide adventures for National Geographic. Darlene became the major collector, curator, and patron of Helen’s art.

Throughout Darlene’s life she created and searched for beauty. She developed incredible skill at sewing beautiful clothing for herself and her children. Darlene’s artistic medium was textiles and she created of wearable art, such as vests and outfits and hand stitched gorgeous quilts. She appreciated and collected wearable art clothing of silk and hand woven textiles. Through the San Diego Stitchery Guild she met many textile and jewelry artists. One of her peak experiences was studying with the Japanese clothing designer and creator, Hiroko Ogawa. Darlene sewed many beautiful wearable art outfits using indigo-dyed Japanese materials and decorated them with intricate Sashiko stitchery. The quality of her sewing was outstanding.

Darlene always loved flowers from a child. One day, Don brought home three rose bushes for their newly built home and that is how she began her rose garden, which grew from three to one hundred rose bushes. Darlene developed into a Rosarian with great understanding and success with beautiful roses. She worked diligently to create natural beauty to share with others.

Darlene was a committed caregiver and supporter of all of her family: four children, her wonderful husband Donald B Armstrong, both her parents and Donald’s parents, as well as her sister-in-law Helen Schreider.

Darlene passed peacefully at home, surrounded by her loving family. The family will have a private celebration of life. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to The California Center of the Arts, Escondido, CA. www.artcenter.org\support\donate

She was predeceased by parents Albert James Boyd and Edith Ruth Sands Boyd and brother Albert James Boyd Jr.

She is survived by: husband Donald Breck Armstrong and sister-in-law, Helen Armstrong Schreider; four children Merle Rene Van Cleve, Camille Ruth Armstrong (Geoffrey Smith), Mark Clayton Armstrong (Donna Sands Armstrong), Renee Alisa Armstrong (Veronica Vuksich); six grandchildren Noah Van Cleve, Shallan Van Cleve, Luke Armstrong, Oliver, Alex, and Galen Vuksich Armstrong; and two great grandchildren Leora and Amelia Armstrong.