In Memory of James Armstrong
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Help Us Help the Armstrong’s
On November 29th we lost James Armstrong- known as Jamie, Jimbo, Jambon or James depending on what chapter of his life you entered.
He was an exceptional human being - one of the good guys. He was a dear friend to so many of us, but more than that he was devoted husband, father, grandfather and son. In the wake of his passing, he leaves his wife of 28 years and high school sweetheart, Janey, his four children Kendra, Jonah, Nathan and Rowan, his grandson Regan and his mum Nancy.
Many of us were allowed into the Armstrong’s lives after James’ cancer diagnosis in December of 2018 through Janey’s missives posted publicly on social media. It was truly inspirational to see and hear of how the Armstrongs divined out all of the joy, love and quality family time they could over what was an arduous two year odyssey that saw James an in-patient in the cancer ward in Vancouver for a year where he underwent without complaint every gut-wrenching form of invasive cancer treatment one can imagine. Despite all that he endured he remained keenly interested in the lives of others and took his diagnosis, treatment and suffering in stride. He was a model of courage, hope, fearlessness, selflessness and decency to the end of his abbreviated life.
Throughout James’ life he avoided the spotlight. Jambon was a compassionate introvert who was always down for a deep and meaningful conversation or some abject silliness and laughs.
As a young man he developed a love of skateboarding which clung with him into adulthood and Jamie was instrumental in having a skateboard park built in his home town of Cumberland where he got to watch his kids grow up.
People often talk of people “battling” cancer and this was an apt description for Jamie’s life post-diagnosis. He had such a lust for life that every day was a gift no matter how awful he was feeling. He never complained why he had the misfortune to have cancer befall him, never wallowed in self-pity, rather he lived his life selflessly in the face of what was a grim diagnosis from the outset. It was heartwarming to see pictures posted of the Armstrong family living life to the fullest together during James’ final years, months and days.
Throughout his life James maintained a love of music and revelled in sharing his new musical discoveries if asked to or not.
He had conquered addiction issues and was happy to be a sounding board, a source of inspiration support and reassurance for friends or acquaintances who were likewise struggling but was never one to judge.
Jimbo maintained a wide and diverse stable of friends throughout his time with us and he remained true to his ideals. His cancer diagnosis was a lightening rod drawing back into the fold old, but not forgotten friendships.
James qualified as a journeyman welder and was a hard worker and good provider for his family. Obviously from the time of his diagnosis and his invasive treatment regime, he was unable to continue working. One can only imagine the financial toll his absence from the workforce and the cost of travel for him and his family during his treatment must have taken.
The Armstrongs very much need all of our help at this most difficult of times. They have a wide swathe of friends and if we all pitch in we can make a difference in making this chapter a little easier for them to bear . They are a deserving family who would be the first to rush to our assistance if the roles were reversed and yet are the last people to ask for any kind of help.
Let’s remember and honour James in a manner befitting of the life he led and the man he was.
On November 29th we lost James Armstrong- known as Jamie, Jimbo, Jambon or James depending on what chapter of his life you entered.
He was an exceptional human being - one of the good guys. He was a dear friend to so many of us, but more than that he was devoted husband, father, grandfather and son. In the wake of his passing, he leaves his wife of 28 years and high school sweetheart, Janey, his four children Kendra, Jonah, Nathan and Rowan, his grandson Regan and his mum Nancy.
Many of us were allowed into the Armstrong’s lives after James’ cancer diagnosis in December of 2018 through Janey’s missives posted publicly on social media. It was truly inspirational to see and hear of how the Armstrongs divined out all of the joy, love and quality family time they could over what was an arduous two year odyssey that saw James an in-patient in the cancer ward in Vancouver for a year where he underwent without complaint every gut-wrenching form of invasive cancer treatment one can imagine. Despite all that he endured he remained keenly interested in the lives of others and took his diagnosis, treatment and suffering in stride. He was a model of courage, hope, fearlessness, selflessness and decency to the end of his abbreviated life.
Throughout James’ life he avoided the spotlight. Jambon was a compassionate introvert who was always down for a deep and meaningful conversation or some abject silliness and laughs.
As a young man he developed a love of skateboarding which clung with him into adulthood and Jamie was instrumental in having a skateboard park built in his home town of Cumberland where he got to watch his kids grow up.
People often talk of people “battling” cancer and this was an apt description for Jamie’s life post-diagnosis. He had such a lust for life that every day was a gift no matter how awful he was feeling. He never complained why he had the misfortune to have cancer befall him, never wallowed in self-pity, rather he lived his life selflessly in the face of what was a grim diagnosis from the outset. It was heartwarming to see pictures posted of the Armstrong family living life to the fullest together during James’ final years, months and days.
Throughout his life James maintained a love of music and revelled in sharing his new musical discoveries if asked to or not.
He had conquered addiction issues and was happy to be a sounding board, a source of inspiration support and reassurance for friends or acquaintances who were likewise struggling but was never one to judge.
Jimbo maintained a wide and diverse stable of friends throughout his time with us and he remained true to his ideals. His cancer diagnosis was a lightening rod drawing back into the fold old, but not forgotten friendships.
James qualified as a journeyman welder and was a hard worker and good provider for his family. Obviously from the time of his diagnosis and his invasive treatment regime, he was unable to continue working. One can only imagine the financial toll his absence from the workforce and the cost of travel for him and his family during his treatment must have taken.
The Armstrongs very much need all of our help at this most difficult of times. They have a wide swathe of friends and if we all pitch in we can make a difference in making this chapter a little easier for them to bear . They are a deserving family who would be the first to rush to our assistance if the roles were reversed and yet are the last people to ask for any kind of help.
Let’s remember and honour James in a manner befitting of the life he led and the man he was.
Organizer and beneficiary
Tracey Chow
Organizer
Burnaby, BC
Janey Armstrong
Beneficiary