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Obituary

She reveled in a life full of ordinary

Della Armstrong never had much money or a fancy job. And yet she had everything.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published December 15, 2006

Della Armstrong didn't have much money, rarely traveled and never had a career or hobbies.

Still, she had everything she always wanted in life.

The people who knew her best said Mrs. Armstrong, of Brandon, was one of those people who felt completely fulfilled by living an ordinary life. She died Dec. 8 at age 84 after battling Parkinson's disease and diabetes for many years.

"She was a woman and she was a mother, and that was all she ever wanted to be," said her daughter, Linda Aronoff. "You couldn't have dragged her to New York City. You never could have gotten her to take a cruise. But she had her family, and that was enough."

Della Sue Dixon was born on a Georgia farm, the youngest of 15 children. Each child had to milk two cows every morning before school.

"She loved that farm," Aronoff said. "She was still talking about it two days before she died."

She was a tiny woman standing 4 feet 10 inches tall and never more than 95 pounds.

"The family used to say that after 14 children, her parents didn't have anything left, and they had to make her out of spare parts," her daughter said. "She'd say they just saved the best for last."

She was always bright, witty and funny. The family often talked about collecting her jokes and stories into a collection of "Della-isms."

Though she was an exceptional student, she dropped out of school after 10th grade to get married. She was 16.

"My brother was born just nine months and 15 days later," Aronoff said. "She used to say, 'I had everyone in that little town counting on their fingers.' "

She and her husband, Carl Armstrong, moved around some before settling in Augusta, Ga., where they raised their two children. Their marriage ended in divorce after 25 years, and Mrs. Armstrong worked in a series of jobs that might be called menial. Still, they gave her everything she needed. She moved to Brandon several years ago because she had family in the area.

"My mother never worked for more than minimum wage in her life," her daughter said. "But she lived on $50 a week. If one week she had to spend more than $50 on something, then the next week she'd live on $40. She lived simply so she could save money. But if you went to her house and said you wanted to take her out to dinner, she always had to treat."

More than anything, Mrs. Armstrong preferred to combine her two passions: cooking and family. She was never happier than when she was preparing a feast for her kids and their kids.

"She had a simple life, but she loved her life," Aronoff said. "She was just a precious lady."

Besides her daughter, Mrs. Armstrong is survived by her son, Carl; four grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 07:37:34]