Anthony DePinna Armer

Anthony DePinna Armer, always called Tony, was born May 2, 1931 in New York City to Janet DePinna Armer and Frank Armer and died in Chapel Hill NC August 12, 2024. Tony was schooled in NYC until middle school, then at Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, and graduated from Oberlin College in 1952 where he edited the 1951 yearbook (the Hi-O-Hi) and was on the Board of the 1952 Mock Convention, among other endeavors. Tony was an avid tennis player from his high school years until the 2020s.He joined the Army in 1952 and spent his enlistment at Aberdeen Proving Ground, teaching the operation and maintenance of heavy duty anti-aircraft artillery to incoming officers. Tony took a job in the marketing research department (MRD) of Procter & Gamble after leaving the Army in 1954. The tradition of introducing female trainees to the local bachelors led to his meeting Bonnie Alice Richardson in late 1959. They courted by mail, phone, and in-person weekend visits and married in Atlanta, GA in 1963. Daughter Julie DePinna Armer was born in 1966, and Melanie Susan Armer in 1969.During the Cincinnati years Tony led a Great Books group and was president of the local Cincinnati chapter of Great Books. He was also president of the local Oberlin Alumni Association and was program chair of Twenties Through Thirties (TTT), a group of young adults at Knox Presbyterian Church. Tony and Bonnie taught a middle school Sunday school class, and Tony was a Deacon and the Chair of Ushers at Eliot Church.Tony and Bonnie were founding members of Cincinnati Music Theater, a group which produced and performed a Broadway musical each year. Tony sang, edited programs, and helped build sets for such shows as Most Happy Fella, The King and I, and The Music Man with joy and gusto.In 1970 the family moved to the New Jersey suburbs so Tony could work in MRD at the Clairol division of Bristol Meyers. Tony joined Footlights Players of Montclair, NJ where he performed in two shows. He was also an Elder and a Trustee at his church. In 1974 a new MRD job at Kenyon & Eckhardt advertising agency brought the family to the Boston area where they settled in Newton, MA. A year later, he and Bonnie formed Armer Research Counsel, a marketing research firm specializing in qualitative research. ARC's clients included Parker Brothers, Harvard Community Health, AT&T, and Okuma. Tony became Chair of Outreach, Trustee, and Moderator at Eliot Church of Newton. He was active in the American Marketing Association, receiving the Tony Armer award for work in the Boston chapter and the AMA Award for service from the national organization. He was an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, Boston University, and Brandeis University.With daughters out of college and established in San Francisco (Julie) and NYC (Melanie), Bonnie and Tony moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1994 where they stepped down operations of Armer Research Counsel and declared retirement. Tony sang in the Chancel Choir at The United Church of Chapel Hill and appeared in three musicals there. He chaired the Outreach Commission, served as Chair of Trustees, and was tapped in the late 1990s to chair the building committee for a new UCCH. The new building was opened Easter Sunday, 2000. Tony and Bonnie moved to Carolina Meadows CCRC in 2012 and to the Fairways, CMs Assisted Living community, in 2021. He was an eager traveler and enjoyed many overseas trips.Tony Armer is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and his two daughters, Julie DePinna Armer Turner, Melanie Armer Muehleck and their husbands Jim Turner and Chance Muehleck.A Memorial Celebration of Life will be held at 3 pm, Tuesday, October 8 at United Church of Chapel Hill. 1321 MLK Jr Blvd, Chapel Hill NC 27514
Memorial Service
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
3:00 PM -
United Church of Chapel Hill
1321 MLK Boulevard
Chapel Hill NC 27514
US
Funeral HomeCremation Society of the Carolinas
2205 East Millbrook Road
Raleigh NC - 27604
US
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