Rodney Ray Armstrong Sr. passed away Sunday, Oct. 5th at the age of 68 after a lengthy battle with dementia. Rod was born and raised in Morton in 1957 by Betty Armstrong. He was a staple member of the Mossyrock and Morton communities for decades, who loved being outdoors.
For most of his life, his mornings were spent in the forest working as a choker setter with his logging crew, and his evenings were spent getting “bleacher butt” while watching his kids play on a multitude of Mossyrock Vikings sports teams. When he wasn’t working or raising kids, he loved a great road trip.
Just some of the memorable road trips he would take with his family included camping at Takhlakh Lake, driving through Yellowstone National Park, cruising down the 101 to Disneyland, and visiting Yosemite National Park.
Rod never met someone he couldn’t strike up a conversation with, and often had a good, probably inappropriate, joke to tell to get things started. He left a lasting impression on many people in and around the area, especially with those he loved the most.
He was a brother to Susie and Gary Reed, Jim and Donna Armstrong, Patty Armstrong, and Becky and Bill Layman. He was a dad to five boys: Michael Armstrong, Sean Ide, Rodney Armstrong, Mark Armstrong, and Brent Armstrong. He was a grandpa to nine “hooligans” (as he would put it) and an uncle to seven nieces and nephews.
The family intends to hold an informal celebration of life for Rod at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Bob Lyle Building in Morton. Anyone who wants to come participate in the celebration is welcome to attend.
