Royce Armstrong

Feb. 1, 1932-March 25, 2022

Royce Armstrong, 90, died Friday, March 25, 2022, at Avon Health and Rehabilitation Center.

He was born Feb. 1, 1932, at New Market, to Lawrence and Bessie (Reynolds) Armstrong. He was raised in New Market and was a proud member of the New Market High School class of 1950. He attended Indiana State Teachers College for two years before transferring to the University of Michigan, where he received a BM in music education in 1954, and an MM in music education in 1959. Royce served in the Army Band from 1954 to 1956. He was a high school band director in Illinois and Michigan, as well as in Morocco, Chesterton and Delphi. Following his retirement from teaching, he spent 10 years as a mail carrier in the Lafayette area.

Royce was a skilled musician and performer. Throughout his life, when he wasn’t teaching, Royce played the trombone and occasionally sang with numerous dance bands, Dixieland bands and community bands throughout central and north central Indiana. He also spent several years in Florida and performed with various groups there. Royce never put limitations on performing and was known to insert a song into a conversation, or entertain his grandchildren with a catchy tune.

Royce was a member of Delphi United Methodist Church, Anderson First United Methodist Church and Zionsville United Methodist Church. He served through music by singing in his rich bass voice in various church choirs, and by starting and directing the handbell choir at Delphi UMC. Royce was also an avid researcher of Armstrong genealogy and recently became a member of the DAR.

Preceding him in death were his parents; two brothers who died in infancy; two sisters, Virginia Hitch and Maurine Dillman; and daughter Jill.

He is survived by five children, Sally (Travis) Richardson, Karen (Tim) Bastress, Mary (Kurt) Scheib, Adrienne (Mark) Frossard and Jordan (Kim) Armstrong; and 10 grandchildren, Luke (Alyssa), Joel and Nathan Richardson, Titus and Beatrice Scheib, Owen, Gavin, Camden and Emerson Frossard and Henry (“Hank”) Armstrong.

If you knew Royce and would like to share your memories of him with his family, please join us as we celebrate his life at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 16 in the sanctuary at West Bridge Church, 1521 S. C.R. 75W, Danville, Indiana. There will be an hour of visitation prior to the service, beginning at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army.