Ronald Armstrong Tribute

Uncle Ron's email to me was Dec 22, 2006, his birthday. He was in pain, felt terrible and still had humor.

Knowing Ron Armstrong was a privilege and an honour. From the first day, Ron impressed me as a gentle man, one who cared for everyone around him. His humility belied his scholarly insights and his love for modern and old languages. Often, we engaged in conversations about different aspects of this world (that never seems to learn from history), his travels, and my being here from a distant land. We shared mutual concerns about the easily avoidable conflicts in this world, and laughed at political "leaders" foibles. Ron's sense of humour was evident when it was most needed. Ron will remain vivid in my mind as a good friend, a humane person, whose kind and polite style were his hallmarks, and will remain etched in my memory.

Ratna Ray

On January 5, 2007 my Uncle Ron passed away. It was very sudden and although we were thankful he didn’t have to endure the worry and suffering of an extended illness, his sudden passing left us with little closure or comfort. He became ill around Christmas time and wasn’t going to be able to visit us that year. Despite daily phone calls with my mom and his quick trip home to get clothes before he returned to the hospital for more tests, he was much more ill than anyone realized. To make matters worse we had planned a trip up to Elliot Lake to visit him in the hospital but he passed away the day before we were to depart. We didn’t get to say good-bye and we weren’t there.

Our two-day family visit turned into scrambling to make funeral arrangements while coping with the loss. It was difficult to go to his home and sort through his belongings, seeing everything in a way that showed he planned on coming back home, and soon. Pants on the bed, his receipts and loose change left near laundry to be done, dishes in the sink from the previous meal. It was heartbreaking. And exhausting.

We held the funeral in Elliot Lake because he loved living out his retirement years there. Once we arrived we saw the beauty of the vistas and the warmth of the local people that he saw. Because of the distance, many couldn’t attend the funeral, so we planned on bringing his ashes home and having a memorial service in Toronto. I was always stuck on one thing though… what was a fitting tribute for him? What can be more about him and the life he lived and not so much about us?

Uncle Ron had no wife or children and he loved traveling all over the world. He was a passionate linguist who spoke several languages and loved other places and cultures and people. One of his favourite places to visit was the Dominican Republic. He enjoyed speaking Spanish and gave me many of his Spanish books. He was also a kind and generous person who never spoke a bad word about anyone. He recognized the differences in people and accepted them. All of this helped to cement my decision on the tribute gift that exemplifies his life.

Throughout the year I had researched many charities and recently made the decision to sponsor a child in tribute to Uncle Ron. My mom loved the idea and we are doing this as a family. His name is William, he is five (same age as Christian) and he lives in Paraguay. I want to share this experience and hope to have more to write in the future.

I am certain Uncle Ron would be happy with our decision to celebrate his life by helping another life.

With all our love, you are greatly missed.