RODERICK SCOTT ARMSTRONG

1944 - 2020

ARMSTRONG, RODERICK SCOTT September 13, 1944 - May 15, 2020 Rod died peacefully at home with his adoring wife Donna (Hutchins) at his side. Rod lived in the Beach neighbourhood he had grown up in and loved. He was a Malvern grad (captain of the senior basketball team), a former beach lifeguard, and as a teenager had cleaned the offices for Dr. Wentworth "Skip" Jones, for whom his mom, the (in-)famous Mrs. Armstrong, was receptionist for decades. He lived surrounded by people he had known his whole life. Many of his closest family members lived down the street or within a few blocks and now survive him: his daughter Rebecca with her husband Stephen (Jones) and children Desi and Louise; his son Alexander and his wife Mina and their son Arnie (AKA A.T.); his sister Louise and her husband George (Teed); his brother Angus and his wife Ellen (Wagner) and daughters Christine, Anna, and Beth; his cousin Brian (Floody), his wife Lorraine, their children Dylan and Claire and their respective partners Pepi and Max. Although an Argo fan, Rod was welcomed into the Ticat-supporting Hutchins family, and is now survived by brother-in-law David Hutchins and his wife Marilyn and daughter Allison. Rod was known for his breezy charm, quick and irreverent wit, his distinctive loud and ready laugh, and his unfortunate habit of dropping the F-bomb in front of the grandkids, particularly when ferrying them to and from play schools, camps, and lessons. A lifelong sports fan and athlete, in recent years tennis with the Kew Beach Morning League had replaced baseball, squash, and white water paddling. Rod and Donna shared interests in architecture, travel, birdwatching (were members of the Ontario Field Ornithologists), theatre, and particularly movies, having for many years memberships to Cinemateque/TIFF and the Toronto Film Society. The Beach Date -- dinner at The Goof (he always ordered the No. 7) and a movie at The Fox -- was a classic way of spending an evening. Another local haunt of Rod's was the Beaches library, where he could often be found exchanging an armload of DVDs. In fact DVDs, collecting, as well as watching, became something of a passion for Rod. He regularly combed thrift shops with a long list in hand, though always ready to scoop up any title that caught his fancy. Shelf after shelf was added to the basement (each one supposedly the last!) to hold his growing collection. No doubt he will be missed on Seniors' Day at the Logan and Queen Value Village. Rod didn't fill a room; he never held court, but he attracted people because of his genuine interest in them, no matter who they were. He will be hugely missed. Thanks must be extended to the friends, family, and neighbours who supported Rod and Donna through Rod's terrible struggle with cancer. Their kindness meant a lot. Thanks also to Rod's care team at Princess Margaret, to his nurses Amy and Casey, and to Dr. Chantal Perrot. A celebration of Rod's life will be held at a later date.