William Armstrong

William "Bill" Armstrong, 77, of Atlantic, Iowa, passed away Sunday, September 14, 2014, at the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic.

William Duane Armstrong was born September 25, 1936, in Wiota, Iowa, to Charles Dean Armstrong and Nola Marie Daughenbaugh. Bill attended and graduated from Wiota High School. He lived in the Wiota and Atlantic area his entire life.


On June 22, 1958, Bill was united in marriage to Nancy Lee Barringer at the First Christian Church in Atlantic. They were blessed to have raised three children.

Bill's career with the Atlantic Fire Department spanned over 29 years. As well as being a fireman, he owned and operated Armstrong Fire Equipment.

Bill was a member of the Iowa Firemen's Association. He enjoyed hunting and trapping, and in his spare time he raised bees. He was an animal lover and could even be found bottle feeding a squirrel. He was an adept carpenter and built two log homes. The younger children beamed with excitement when Santa Claus (also known as Bill) showed up to visit them. Bill loved his family and friends and was generally surrounded by them in the shed visiting and having coffee.

Preceding Bill in death were his wife, Nancy in 2011; his parents, Charles and Nola Armstrong; and his siblings, Phyllis Bornholdt, Maxine Blunk, Dale Armstrong, James Armstrong, Bob Armstrong, Joe Armstrong, Marjorie Gissible and Belle Rattenborg.

Those left to cherish the wonderful memories are his children, Mark (Stacy) Armstrong of Cresent, IA, Ginnie (Todd) Schroeder of Atlantic, IA and Michael (Lynn) Armstrong of Atlantic, IA; his grandchildren, Thomas (Talya Kamies) Schroeder, Samantha Schroeder, Stephanie (Chad) Welter and Michael (Kassidy Edwards) Armstrong, all of Atlantic, IA; great-grandchildren, William, Wyatt and Allyson Schroeder, Zoey Hockenberry and Olivia Armstrong; sisters, Betty (Jack) Boeck of Fontanelle, IA and Mary (Lyle) Brillhart of Pella, IA; nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family for designation at a later time.

Visitation will be held from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m., Sunday, September 21, 2014, at Hockenberry Funeral Home in Atlantic, Iowa.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Monday, September 22, 2014, at the First United Methodist Church in Atlantic, Iowa, with burial in the Atlantic Cemetery.