James "Jim" M. Armstrong Jr.

James "Jim" M. Armstrong Jr., 85, of New Albany went to heaven on May 3, 2022. He was born in Jeffersonville, Ohio on September 19, 1936 to the late James M. and Edna (White) Armstrong. He was preceded in death by his son, Jerry M. Armstrong and daughter in love, Julie A. Armstrong.

He met Martha (Marti), his wife and lifelong love when still in high school through family friends and they married just days after he graduated from high school on May 29, 1954, almost 68 years ago. Seven and a half years later they had 6 children, Jodi (Steve) Van Oss, James (Jim) M. Armstrong III, Jeffrey (Heidi) Armstrong, Jan (Tim) McNeal, Jon Armstrong, and Jerry Armstrong. His sister, Jo Lynn Brunner and sister-in-law Fran Wheeland held special places in his heart. He loved every one of his 17 grandchildren passionately (plus nine spouses) and took many of them to SeaWorld and on other adventures when they were young, and more recently has enjoyed his 29 great-grandchildren. It is impossible to express how much he will be missed by so many.

Jim was a longtime member of Shepherd Church of the Nazarene. He didn't know a stranger. If he met you, you were a friend. He loved spontaneity and fun and would wake his 6 children at midnight to go sledding in a snowstorm. He made cocoa and toast for them most mornings before school. He loved all things OSU Buckeyes and attended their football games starting in the 1950's until as recent as 2021 to cheer them on. He enjoyed many years of coaching Little League Baseball and then umpiring for years including for the Columbus Clippers, OSU, and many local and national ASA tournaments. He loved music, singing "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain" and "You Are My Sunshine" in the car on family trips, playing the piano and trombone and hymns, and jazz music. He enjoyed volunteering in the Special Olympics. He owned Mr. T's Pizza in Gahanna for years and it is now owned by his son, Jeff Armstrong.

Jim's family will receive friends on Saturday, May 7th from 11:00am-1:30pm at SHEPHERD CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE, 425 S Hamilton Road, Gahanna, Ohio 43230 and a service will follow immediately at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory may be made to BellaCare Hospice, 110 Polaris Parkway, Suite 302, Westerville, Ohio 43082.