Bobby Eugene Armstrong, 76, of holiday, FL, passed away on Tuesday, December 31, 2013, at his home. He was born in Ashford, West Virginia and move to the area in 1974 from Flint, MI.
He served his country in the United States Marine Corps and advanced to the rank of Corporal (E-4). He worked for Bekins Van Lines for many years as a mover and truck driver and then worked for the Pinellas County School System as a bus driver. He was a member of the Marine Corps League and the VFW in New Port Richey. Bobby loved his family and was very fond of Christmas; however, he did not like to celebrate his birthday. He enjoyed playing golf, painting things around the house and working on model cars. He was very competitive when it came to playing a game of Chinese checkers. Another passion was following the NASCAR races. He especially liked Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Matt Kenseth.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Jeff Armstrong (Ernest M. Harrison, step-father) and Norma Dicus. His wife, Charlotte; sons, Stacy Armstrong of Port Richey, FL, Ben Belzel of Holiday, and Cory Armstrong of Largo, FL; daughters Serina Belzel of Seminole, FL, and Kelly Escobar of Holiday; brother, Jack Harrison of New Port Richey, FL; twelve grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild survive him.
Services will be held on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at Clearwater First Assembly of God, 1739 S. Martin L. King Jr. Ave, Clearwater, FL, 33756. A visitation will be held at 10:30am and the service will begin at 11:30am. There will be a military honors presentation following the service. Bobby will be interred at Garden Sanctuary Cemetery, 7950 131st Street, No., Seminole, Florida, on Friday, January 17, 2014, at 1:30pm.
My prayers are with you and your family at this time of your loss. May God be with you all. Love you all.
I am so saddened for the loss of my Uncle Bob. I have so many wonderful memories growing up spending many many weekends at his “Vernon Dr” home. My Uncle was one of the biggest kids that you’ve ever meant!! He taught my brother and I so many things from tying our shoes to climbing trees and loved to play hide and seek as well. My heart goes out to our entire family for each and everyone’s own loss and I pray that all their special memories will quide them through this difficult time. You will be truly missed….Rest in Peace Forever Uncle Bob, Love, Sissy
Serina, your mom and entire family are in my prayers. I haven’t seen you in a very long time but I remember you and your family. So sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in each other as you say good bye.
I miss and love you soo much dad… i know your in heaven watching over us all and you will always be my hero.. taught me to ride a bike, how to swim and so many more things.. i love you dad. Rest in peace .. Love Cory
RIP Marine.
Semper Fi
Rest in peace Bobby. You are loved and will be missed. God Bless.
Melissa
I will forever miss you dad. So many things we shared love of music, golf, model cars, old movies, Nascar, football and talking about the old days. I remember the last time we went golfing and had planned another outing but we never went…now I can’t believe we won’t ever golf again.
It has been especially hard for me even though we knew this was coming.
Dad,I love and miss you
Stacy
Dad, words can never express how deeply broken-hearted I am. I miss you so very much. It still doesn’t even feel real to me. I cry everyday, but I am comforted in the fact that I know you are no longer suffering and you are watching down on us. You always had a way of getting your point through to me and you always gave such great advice, even though I may not have wanted to agree with you. I already miss our long talks on the phone, our visits together, and reminiscing the old days when I was a little girl. I will forever miss you daddy, and I will always be your little girl.
Until we see each other again in heaven….
Love Punkin…
I am left with so many wonderful memories of our times together. We laughed and cried but always h ad a great time. I am very sad about the months we lost touch but will always be grateful for the great card playing times we had. I will miss you and will think good thoughts.
To my. Brother-in-law , Bobby. I have so many wonderful memories of a lot of good times . Will always remember you of being the best babysitter and housekeeper anyone could of had. You were always a great uncle to Tracy & Scott . Our prayers go out to all of your family. Until we meet again RIP . Love, your sister-in-law,Brenda and Jerry
Dear Charlotte and family,
Bobby was a great brother-in-law or shall I say more like a brother I never had. I will greatly miss his warm sense of humor and sweet smile. In my thoughts he is now re-uniting with his loved ones that passed before him and there is a great celebration in heaven. Much love always to you, and all the family. Carol
Bobby you and i had some good times and bad but through it all we still were friends i will miss our talks and you calling me just to have me listen to johnny cash i know you are in heaven You r dearley missed my prayers go out to family
to charlotte and everyone in our family…i am terribly saddened by the loss of a husband,father,brother,friend and my uncle Bob…throughout the years,he was always there for me whenever i needed advice,help,friendship,love understanding and the occasional stern admonishment…we had plenty of heart to heart talks,some just recently when we both knew that our time together was short…you will be greatly missed Uncle Bob by all who had the privilege of knowing you…and like i`ve always told you Uncle Bob,you were like a Dad to me from day one,my # 2 Dad forever…rest in peace Uncle Bob till we meet again…love,scooter.
We are so sorry for your loss Charlotte. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God Bless.
Kelly, I am very sorry for the loss of your father. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God has taken him into his kingdom and as hard as it is, it is time to celebrate his life and know that is he is safe and always looking down on you and your family. The Lord has a plan for everyone and your dad was a part of that plan. May God bless you all at this time of sorrow.
Dad, through the many years you were in my life, you were always what a dad truly is. You taught me to be strong, to always stand my ground, to work hard not only to survive an support myself and my family, but to work hard for what I believe is right. You taught me how to be a father to my children, and how to make it in this crazy world. I will forever miss you and will always hold you in my heart. Love you always and forever.
Ben
Bobby, You were one of the most generous and noble men I ever had the privalage of knowing. I enjoyed all of our time and conversations together. You put many things into prospective for me. You also helped guide me in more ways than you’ll ever know. I love you and will miss you very very much.
Ben & Charlotte, I am so sorry for your loss. I always felt like a part of your family and I thank you for that. I am here for you both, please let me know if there is anything I can do. I love you all!!!
We are preparing ourselves to come to Bobby’s service today. A lot of memories are flooding back, as they have been the past many days. Memories of neighborly chitchat mostly, and also of the deep discussion of eternity and the truth of who Jesus is. We are so thankful for Bobby’s friend who prayed with him and the fact that he has gone home to be with the Lord.
Charlotte, we are right here if you need us.
Love and Prayer,
Kevin, Carolyn, Kim, Zach, Kourtney, Kelly, and your little friend, Athan
Today my heart is very heavy as our family prepares for saying goodbye to our dear husband, brother, father, grandfather, and most of all my Uncle Bob. You lived each and everyday to its fullest and through all the sickness you endured, you never gave up. Your heart was so strong and your determination even stronger. I will never forget and cherish with all my heart all the memories I have of having you for my uncle and just knowing how much Scott and I meant to you makes me smile everyday. Forever rest in peace Uncle Bob until we meet again….All my Love, Sissy