It is with profound sadness that the family of Douglas Edgar Armstrong announce his peaceful passing in the early morning hours of February 24, 2020 at Hospice Wellington. He was the loving father to Paul (Patricia) Armstrong of Erin; Wendy Armstrong (Jay Aiken) of Fergus; Todd Armstrong of Orangeville; and Shaun Armstrong of East Garafraxa; and a devoted grandfather to Mary Katherine and Patrick Armstrong; Cody (Katrina) Messecar and Jaime Messecar (Mitch McIntyre); John and Brooke Armstrong; and Dylan, Darren, and Darcy Armstrong. He will be forever missed by his companion Janet Scheibler of Belwood; his brother Duncan (Marion) Armstrong of Erin; and his sister Laura (Jack) Smeltzer of Belwood; and his many nieces and nephews. He will be fondly remembered by Janet’s children, Arlene, Karen, and Jeff and their families. Doug was pre-deceased by his first wife Pauline Richardson (1989) of Caledon; his parents Edgar (1986) and Winnifred (1983); his sister Hazel (2016) and brother-in-law Frank Scott (2001); and his brother-in-law Jim Quarrie (2011). Cremation has taken place and as per Doug’s wishes there will be no service. A private celebration of life and interment of ashes will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations be made to Hospice Wellington or to the charity of your choice. Doug was born and raised on the family farm that once belonged to his grandfather on the 9th Line, south of Erin Village on March 15, 1932. At a young age, he was out in the fields or barns helping with the work – picking potatoes, weeding the garden, gathering firewood and feeding chickens and livestock. As a young boy, he had his own menagerie of animals and fowl that varied over the years. It might be chickens, ducks, frogs, rabbits, and always dogs. His heart was firmly planted in nature and on the land. In his early 20’s, he went west looking for work on what was known as the “harvest excursion”. Many young farm boys went to Saskatchewan or Alberta looking for work and adventure. The young men would gather at the local grain elevator and from there they were able to meet the ranchers who were looking for a hired hand. Doug, being the smallest of his group, once asked a farmer how come he would pick him first before any of the bigger boys. The answer was “because you had well-tanned hands that looked like they were used to hard work.” Eventually Doug met and married the former Pauline Richardson from Caledon. They took over the family farm after his father and mother retired to a bungalow at the edge of town. Doug and Pauline raised their family of three sons and one daughter in the original farmhouse until 1976 when they built a new house at the corner of the farm. During this time, Doug never lost sight of his desire to own land in the west. He made several trips to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta looking at various farms for sale but never took the plunge and purchased one. In retrospect, he was glad he did not find the perfect one and that he had remained in Erin. In addition to farming, Doug enjoyed dancing, playing cards and sports. He played baseball and was a member of the tug-o-war team. Later he took up curling, a sport at which he excelled, becoming Skip after only one or two seasons. In 1965, he was part of a team that accomplished a rare achievement; they played an 8-ender and received a certificate in the “Canada Dry Eight-ender Club”. Curling took a back seat as his sons grew older and became involved with hockey. He was always interested in travel. The family travelled west several times to visit family and in 1981, he and Pauline made a memorable trip to Alaska with the two youngest children in a truck and slide-in camper. One of the highlights of that trip was being escorted out of Watson Lake by the RCMP, along with a caravan of other tourists because of the forest fires in the vicinity. In 1987, Pauline became ill and she passed away April 1, 1989. By this time, he had sold the farm and had bought a gas station at the south end of town that he operated as Armstrong’s South End Gas Bar. In 1994, he met Janet and a couple of years later he sold his home in Erin where he had spent the first sixty-plus years of his life and moved to Orangeville where he and Janet began their life together. Janet also enjoyed travel so by 1997 when Janet retired they owned a truck and small 5th wheel trailer. In this, they retraced the trip to Alaska that Doug and Pauline had made sixteen years earlier. Much had changed and after another sixteen years, Doug and Janet made their second trip to Alaska, this time in a van. It was not the exciting trip they had experienced previously. Weather was a big factor in that but once again, progress brought change to the landscape and to businesses along the way. They found a lot of the small motels/restaurants along the Alaska Highway were closed and deteriorating. After Janet retired, they sold the home in Orangeville and moved to the “cottage” on Kawagama Lake, near Dorset. That was where they made their home for the next six years. Many happy times were spent boating, swimming, snowmobiling and entertaining family and friends. Doug and Janet became involved with the Seniors’ Centre in Dorset and made some good friends along the way. For many years they spent part of the winter travelling in their RV around the USA and summers exploring Canada. Together they have visited all but a few of the American states and have been in all the provinces and two of the three territories. In 2008, they re-located to Pine Meadows in Belwood where they continued to enjoy life with family and friends. He looked forward to playing pool followed by a trip into town for lunch with friends. He enjoyed going out for coffee and to read the sports news after which he would visit various stores or car lots looking for “good deals” for his kids, grandkids and even himself, and then have a visit with family in Fergus. He loved building things and working with family outdoors. At home, his favourite spot was his chair in the sunroom… his favourite past time, watching his beloved Maple Leafs and/or reading the newspaper. In recent years, his grandchildren were his pride and joy. He was a regular in the stands at hockey, curling, soccer and baseball games. He also spent many hours watching dance recitals! He attended their graduations, a wedding and was always there to lend a hand on moving day. Anyone who knew Doug knew he was a great storyteller and never said no to a good time! Family gatherings were special to him… a little bit of crazy, a little bit of loud and a whole lot of love.
“If there’s another world, he lives in bliss; if there is none, he made the best of this.”
– Robert Burns