Betty Armstrong

Betty Ruth Ritterhoff Armstrong age 92, of Waco passed Sunday April 3, 2011 at Eden House in Waco, Texas, where she lived in the loving care of her younger son Richard and his wife Jessica. Memorial Services are planned for a later date.

Betty was born on the 10th of October 1918 in Chicago to Henry and Edith Ritterhoff. Betty was educated in Chicago and New York schools.. While attending school in Chicago, she met Edward LaVerne Armstrong from Evansville, Illinois. They were married in Wollaston, Massachusetts, on the 31st of August 1940. Betty once laughed, “I was so glad to marry an ‘Armstrong.’”

Betty summed up her early life in a nutshell for the Weatherford Democrat in 1991, “I was born in Illinois, married in Massachusetts, had my first child in Ohio and my second in Florida.” The elder son James Henry is a retired engineer, living with his wife in Leakey, Texas. The younger, Dick, is a dentist with his own practice, living with his wife and two youngest children in Waco. Betty has nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Ever since Betty and Ed moved to Weatherford in 1951, Betty was an active member of Grace First Presbyterian Church. She served as the church’s first paid secretary and held that position for 30 years under three ministers, retiring in 1985. Betty was president of Presbyterian Women from 1965-69, was presented a Presbyterian Women’s Life Membership, moderated and led Circle Bible Studies, and taught Sunday school. She was an ordained elder. For many years, she visited homebound and nursing home patients.

Through her involvement with the PTA in the 1950s as a member and an officer, Betty was appointed by the City Council PTA to chair a committee for developing a public library for the children of Weatherford. Under her leadership, a children’s library became a reality, staffed by volunteers until 1966. In time, the Weatherford Public Library grew out of those early efforts. Betty helped organize the Friends of the Weatherford Library to support the library. Throughout the 1960s, she directed an annual Bridge Marathon and served as Membership Chairperson of the Friends for five years, becoming a Life Member of the Friends. Acting out of love and a sense of responsibility, Betty was one of the first volunteers for Meals on Wheels in 1975, serving a regular weekly route for many years.


In the early 1980s, Betty was instrumental in establishing Manna Storehouse, Inc., a nonprofit food pantry and supply house for hundreds of the needy of Parker County. She was deeply dedicated, constantly working to build interest and support for Manna. Betty worked with clients at the center, wrote thank-you notes to all donors, and served on the Board of Directors as Corresponding Secretary from 1986.

Betty received many honors for all her volunteer work and caring for the community. In 1990, she was selected by the Greater Parker County Republican Women’s Club to be recognized as one of President George H. W. Bush’s “Thousand Points of Light” volunteers. In 1997, Betty was named the “Outstanding Woman of the Southwest” by the Presbyterian Women of Grace First Presbyterian Church for her many contributions to the church and local community. In 1998, she was unanimously nominated by the Weatherford Chapter, National Society of the Daughter of the American Revolution for a “Governor’s Volunteer Award for outstanding achievement in the volunteer community,” signed by then-Governor George W. Bush.

After moving to Waco, though she was 90 years of age she was determined to continue her volunteer work. She served others as long as she could, working until two months before her death. Her faithfulness in serving others is a testament to her commitment to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Betty with Ed enjoyed their retirement, taking their mini-motor home on countless short in-state fishing and camping trips as well as on longer trips throughout the contiguous United States. Betty was gifted at needlework but crocheting afghans was her specialty.

Betty is survived by her loving family: son Jim and wife Patricia in Leakey, TX; son Dick and wife Jessica in Waco, TX; granddaughters Katherine Armstrong and partner Kiki (Denver, CO), Jennifer Stetler (Del Rio, TX), Stacy Armstrong (Tucson, AZ), and Alana Armstrong (Waco, TX); grandsons Christopher and wife Beth Armstrong (Waco, TX), Brian and wife Tori Armstrong (Beaumont, TX), Matthew Armstrong (Austin, TX), Jonathan Armstrong (Abilene, TX), and Luke Armstrong (Waco, TX); great-grandchildren Michael Armstrong (San Antonio, TX), Abigayle and Joel Stetler (Del Rio, TX), Hunter Armstrong (Waco, TX), and William Armstrong (Beaumont, TX).

The family would like to thank the staff at St Elizabeth for their loving care for the past three years. The family would also like to thank the staff at The Eden House and Bluebonnet Hospice for going above and beyond the past two months.

Memorials may be made to Manna Storehouse in Weatherford, Texas or Mission Waco.