Goodbye, Pa. (memorial: Jerry "Pa" Armstrong)
The first time I met Pa, Heather and I were preparing to get married and I was a nervous fiance, unsure of what to expect. Upon first meeting the man, the tension went away. Blind and stocky, Pa was everything a "Pa" should be. Steady and comforting, with just the right amount of mischief peeking through blue eyes that had long since stopped seeing things beyond his nose. As a person who finds himself frequently disturbed by the recklessly destructive tendencies of the modern world, it is not every day that I find myself instantly comfortable around someone. Pa was just that sort of someone.
This evening, we learned that Pa was gone. I had only met the man twice yet in my heart, he was my Pa. Heather and I dreamed of Eoghan going with Pa on a fishing trip, once we had the money to go visit. In his last call to us, he told us that he would like to see Eoghan again soon. It is unfortunate that Eoghan will never get to fish with this man. That he'll never get to see the sly twinkle in his eye as he palms a 50 dollar bill inside a handshake or watch Pa's trains being operated by the man himself.
Mr. Armstrong was many of the things I myself aspire to be. A warm solace to friends and family in a world that can often leave us cold and jaded. The type of person that can, with a grin, remind you of all the things you knew as a child that the world had made you forget. In a word, he was indeed, everything a "Pa" should be.
We love you and will miss you Pa. We shall all meet by and by.
(If anyone can help, Heather and I are suffering financially and cannot afford the gas to attend Pa's funeral. We are not accustomed to asking for monetary help but I can think of no other way unfortunately. Contact me at GSUEoghan@gmail.com and God bless you.)
This evening, we learned that Pa was gone. I had only met the man twice yet in my heart, he was my Pa. Heather and I dreamed of Eoghan going with Pa on a fishing trip, once we had the money to go visit. In his last call to us, he told us that he would like to see Eoghan again soon. It is unfortunate that Eoghan will never get to fish with this man. That he'll never get to see the sly twinkle in his eye as he palms a 50 dollar bill inside a handshake or watch Pa's trains being operated by the man himself.
Mr. Armstrong was many of the things I myself aspire to be. A warm solace to friends and family in a world that can often leave us cold and jaded. The type of person that can, with a grin, remind you of all the things you knew as a child that the world had made you forget. In a word, he was indeed, everything a "Pa" should be.
We love you and will miss you Pa. We shall all meet by and by.
(If anyone can help, Heather and I are suffering financially and cannot afford the gas to attend Pa's funeral. We are not accustomed to asking for monetary help but I can think of no other way unfortunately. Contact me at GSUEoghan@gmail.com and God bless you.)