James Lee Armstrong was born May 6, 1947 in Washington, D.C. His family moved to Tulsa when he was two. Jim attended Holmes, Revere, Edison Junior High, and Memorial High School. After high school he went to Northeastern at Tahlequah , majoring in business and economics. After college he served his country in the National Guard for 6 years. Jim could tell some great stories about his days in the Guard and how he managed to become a cook.
When Jim was a teenager he loved to work on automobiles. He could take an engine completely apart and rebuild it. His love of cars continued throughout his life and his Corvette was the joy of his later years.
Jim held several jobs over the years. He worked in retail at Pier One Imports for a time. He sold tires in Phoenix, Arizona for awhile. Coming back to Tulsa, he worked at Professional Investors Life Insurance for about five years. Later he worked for a year with the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce overseeing a grant to provide affordable health care for small businesses. That lead to his becoming a successful self-employed health insurance agent specializing in individual and small group health insurance.
While attending Christ United Methodist Church and Phoenix Singles group, Jim joined with a group of young people who met to run at River Parks. Running became one of his great joys. He usually ran six miles three or four times a week. He competed in many races and ran the Tulsa Run for many years.
During his time in the Phoenix Singles group Jim also played volleyball. Here he met and eventually married his wife of 26 years, Rita. Jim and Rita loved to travel. They owned timeshares and took over ninety different trips, traveling throughout the U.S. and to Hawaii, England, and Scotland. They took several cruises also.
In later years, Jim had several health issues--back surgeries and a knee replacement that caused him to give up running and traveling, but he usually tried to put on a smile and face the world bravely.
Jim treasured the life-long friends he made in high school and the runner friends that he met through the years.
Jim is survived by his wife, Rita; his brother Robert and wife Peggy of Metaire, Louisiana; his sister Barbara and husband Dave of Mesa, Arizona; and several nieces and nephews. He was proceeded in death by his mother, Doris and his father, Max Armstrong.
Visitation will be 6-8 PM, Friday, July 6, 2018 at Moore's Southlawn, 9350 E. 51st, Tulsa, OK. Memorial service will be 12 Noon, Saturday, July 7, 2018 at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5111 S. Memorial, Tulsa, OK. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233 share memories at www.moorefuneral.com