Evelyn Armstrong

Five weeks from her 87th birthday, Evelyn (Eve) Armstrong died peacefully in her sleep at her Sequim home from complications of Alzheimer's disease.

Eve was born to Lewis Jacobs and Golda Cohen in the Woolwich District of Southeast London, England, where her family had a successful tailor's shop. She was the younger sister of three brothers. Eve attended primary school in London and Kent, also Dublin, Ireland, where she learned to speak Gaelic. She graduated from high school in 1939 with an art scholarship and was accepted to polytechnic school in Pinestead, London, where she studied until 1941.

As World War II began, at age 17, Eve enlisted as a private in the British Army's Auxiliary Territorial Service, where she served in noncombatant support to anti-aircraft crews scattered about southern England.

Toward the war's end, while attending synagogue, Eve met and married her first husband, James Stern of Baltimore, Maryland, who was with U.S. forces in London. With James, Eve immigrated to the United States in 1945, crossing the Atlantic on the HMS Queen Mary. In the U.S., Eve bore her first child, daughter Trudi.

In 1949, after moving from Baltimore to Cleveland, Ohio, James and Trudi were tragically killed in an automobile accident. Eve became a naturalized U.S. citizen later the same year, left Ohio and moved to Los Angeles, where she accepted stage comedy and dancing parts for Little Theater Productions. Universal Studios subsequently hired Eve to play extras for various serial Westerns of the day.

In 1952, Eve traveled with other dancers to perform opening and backup routines for entertainment venues in the greater Anchorage, Alaska, area. After six months, Eve left stage performing and, remaining in Anchorage, joined the credit department for Sears Roebuck.

Meanwhile, she met her second husband, Theodore Barbera, with whom she bore twins Paul and Frances in August 1954. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Fairbanks.

In Fairbanks, Eve serendipitously found her niche in radio. In 1955, while seeking a clerical position, Eve asked directions to her interview at the offices of KFRB Radio, which sought someone to write advertising copy for various sponsors. Undaunted and with no experience in radio advertising, Eve wrote some example material and was hired immediately. Eve was later promoted to station sales representative. Occasionally, Eve's voice could be heard on various locally produced radio advertisements. Eve's marriage to Theodore ended in 1959.

In 1960, still in Fairbanks, Eve met her beloved Donald N. Armstrong, then a U.S. Air Force major. After their marriage in February 1961, Eve and Don, along with Paul and Frances, moved to Eielson Air Force Base, where Eve, while continuing her radio career, became active with the Officers' Wives Club. Eve was quickly embraced by Donald's sons, Bob, Don and Brian, as their "second mom."

In 1964, Eve accompanied Don on military transfer to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Eve continued her involvement with the wives' club. Her credentials from KFRB got her hired as sales manager with local radio station KFLI.

In 1966, with the onset of the Vietnam conflict, Eve accompanied Don to Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee, where the family remained until 1969 and Don's retirement from active duty.

From Tennessee, Eve and Don relocated to Bend, Oregon, where the couple established Cascade Vacation Sales and Rentals, an RV business, in 1971. Business flourished until 1975, when they agreed to become more "work optional" and sold the enterprise.

For the next seven years, Eve and Don set out on myriad travel adventures, trailer and camper touring across America, hunting and fishing, spending days to months in the company of friends and family and then on to Europe, South Africa, Mexico, the Galapagos Islands, Australia and New Zealand.

In 1980, after many visits to and coming to love the beauty of the Olympic Peninsula, Eve and Don settled in Sequim, where they purchased their home in Dungeness Estates. Over the next three decades, Eve was heavily involved with The Retired Officers Association (later renamed Military Officers Association of America). Eve authored and edited the Olympic The Retired Officers Association/Military Officers Association of America chapter's newsletter for many years and modeled in its ladies' fashion shows.

She and Don were active in coordinating local participation in Seattle's annual SeaFair exhibition. Eve was counted among the friendly volunteers at the Sequim Visitor Center. She loved to dance and was often seen with friends enjoying big-band nights at 7 Cedars Casino.

Mrs. Armstrong is survived by her son, Paul of Baltimore, Maryland; daughter and son-in-law Frances and Rick Munder of Hayward, California; her stepsons and daughters-in-law Bob and Jan of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Donald and Joanie of Sun City, California; grandson Jonathan; granddaughters Joy, Dawn and Kristin; and great-grandson Grant.

Services will be Wednesday, December 14, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with a celebration of life at Olympic Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, 73 Howe Road, Port Angeles. Please RSVP no later than Friday, December 9, to 360-683-5308; leave a message with the name and anticipated number of attendees. The celebration will be followed by a reception on the premises. Please, no black attire.

Memorials may be made in the name of Evelyn Armstrong to Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County, 540 East Eighth Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362.