Judith G. Armstrong

Judith Gallup Armstrong, 86, passed peacefully on November 7, 2022.

Judy was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1936 and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana when she was 8. She was raised around close family and had a wonderful childhood which included summers at a sports camp in Wisconsin and family time in Northern Michigan. She boarded an East bound train to Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia in 1954, where she majored in English and weekend parties at Washington and Lee University. She married soon after college and was a wonderful wife and mother for many years. She taught one year of high school English at Stuart Hall School in Staunton and loved teaching. She started as a real estate saleswoman after her divorce in 1977. During her 36 years in real estate, she was affiliated with Owen Thomas Inc., Prestige Properties, and Sweeney and Associates (which became the Re/Max franchise in Staunton and Waynesboro). She attained the Accredited Buyers Representative designation as well as Certified Residential Specialist and Certified Residential Broker. She was most proud of earning the Re/Max Lifetime Achievement Award, but she attained many accolades and sales awards. Although her love of closing a deal never waned, she received the most satisfaction from helping others. She always gave much of the credit for her success to her assistant, Betty Cason, who was with her for close to 20 years.

She was grateful to have had time to retire and slow down after running on all cylinders, and during that time she enjoyed traveling and relaxing. She loved to read, play golf, attend book club, do 1000- piece jigsaw puzzles, play Wordle each day, birdwatch from her kitchen, visit with friends and spend time with her daughter. She also wrote two books, one on growing up in the 1950s and the other about real estate. She was awarded a patent in 2017 for a portable beverage cooling and heating device.

Judy was diagnosed in 2001 with early-stage breast cancer and was successfully treated. In 2019, at age 82, she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. She did amazingly well for 3 years undergoing various chemo regimens. She was extremely thankful for that extra time, and she never took one of those “extra” days for granted. Judy loved life and hated to leave this earth.

Judy is survived by her daughter Deborah Austin Armstrong (Jennifer) of Lynchburg, Virginia, as well as a sister Deborah Marble (Michael) of Lake Oswego, Oregon. She is also survived by cousins from Indiana on her mother’s side- Patricia Wilcox Fansler, Patricia’s daughters Katie Fansler of Indianapolis, Susan Fansler Donoghue (Michael) of Tuscon, Arizona and Julie Fansler Wade (Phil) of Naples, Florida. Cousin May Beth Sirlin Machine, of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, survives as do nieces and nephews- Tracey Armstrong Ragsdale (Duane) of Richmond, Virginia; John Armstrong (Laurie) of Buena Vista, Virginia; Katherine Marble McCarthy (Denis) of Eugene, Oregon; Abigail Marble Moss (Ilene) of Portland, Oregon. Additionally, she is survived by her sister-in-law, Jane Davisson Armstrong of Buena Vista, Virginia and her half Uncle, Roger Gallup (Dolly) of Rippon, California. She was grateful to find “Uncle Roger” late in life, and she truly treasured their connection. She was predeceased by her parents, Charles Austin Gallup and Jane Falser Gallup.

Judy was active in Colonial Dames, Daughters of the American Revolution, King’s Daughter’s Hospital Auxiliary, Mary Baldwin Alumnae Association, several area writing clubs, and Shenandoah Valley Kiwanis. She was a founding member of the Country Club of Staunton and was an active golf and tennis player. She loved golf and was able to enjoy it well into her 80s. She was a member of both Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Trinity Episcopal Church. She sang in the choir and served on the Vestry at Trinity Church. She was a supporter of many charities including the Historical Staunton Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, the Heifetz Institute, the Mosby Foundation, the American Shakespeare Theater, Children’s Miracle Network, the Salvation Army, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research. She has also funded a gift to the University of Virginia for ovarian cancer research.

Judy loved Staunton and was very proud of the historical preservation of the downtown as well as of the development of the tourist industry over the last several decades. She would remind everyone to “look up” when walking along Beverley Street downtown and admire the architectural handiwork. She professed to have driven all 968 square miles of Augusta County many times over, and loved listing and showing property in our area. However, the beautiful historic homes on East Beverley Street, the Sherwood Avenue area and Johnson Street hill held a special place in her heart. She loved Macon Gurley’s creative cocktails at Zynodoa and enjoyed happy times there as well as at the Yelping Dog and the Mill Street Grill.

Special thanks to Dr. Charles Landen and Jana Briedis-Ruiz, NP, and the wonderful infusion nurses at the Emily Couric Cancer Center at the University of Virginia; Donna Lawrence, LPN of UVA Imaging; Sue Taliaferro Mason and Sarah Bradshaw, RN, both of Kindred Hospice; AJ Heine, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church; and Judy’s wonderful friends including, but not limited to, Carolyn Watters Austin of Nokomis, Florida; Jim and Lori Wyatt of Richmond, Virginia; Gloria Mattox of Virginia Beach Virginia; Jayne Powell of Munds Park, Arizona; Jude and Nora Werra of Brookfield, Wisconsin and Robin Clear Foster of San Antonio, Texas. Staunton area friends include Nancy Whitmore, Nancy Carey, Kim Harris, Chuck Balsamo, Jason Hand, Gail Finnegan, Betty Cason, Sandra and Fred Farnum, Debbie Shickel, Kasi McCormick, Ann Holland, Nevin Geiman, Jeanne Hoffman, Eugenia Taylor, Sharon and Coco Whisten, Kable and Bob Rizzo, Page Enslow Kable, and her wonderful neighbor Amy Kiger.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Henry Funeral Home. There will be a private interment at Thornrose Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will be conducted at 2:00 PM, Friday, November 11, 2022 at Trinity Episcopal Church by The Reverend William "A.J." Heine.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to any of the charities that Judy supported in her name, to OCRA (Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance) at ocrahope.org or to UVA Health: www.at.virginia.edu/supportuvahealth and select “Gynecologic Cancer Research Gifts” (22239), or make checks payable to UVA Health Foundation and mail to UVA Health, P.O. Box 37963, Boone, IA 50037, noting the designation number 22239 and that the gift is in memory of Judith Gallup Armstrong.