The Richard Armstrong Memorial Fund

Join the thousands of people funding the Music and the Arts with a donation to Richard Armstrong Memorial Fund. The Rich Armstrong Memorial Fund held at the San Francisco Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity.

Richard Armstrong passed away on October 6, 2022 at the young age of 55. As an incredible musician, teacher, and friend, he epitomized a life worth living and a life dedicated to giving. He will be remembered for his gift of the music he played, the knowledge he shared, and the support he provided. His legacy is one to be remembered and celebrated. The Richard Armstrong Memorial Fund is accepting tax deductible donations to fund music programs at the schools and organizations Rich attended and taught.

Many describe Rich as a “musical genius”, “the hardest working multi-instrumentalist they’ve ever known”, and a “masterful, thoughtful and exciting soloist”. His primary instrument was the trumpet, but he sang lead vocals in several bands and played percussion, guitar, bass, and keyboards professionally.

While Rich collected many awards and accolades from many prominent organizations and musicians, his most proud moments were less pretentious and include: a “best of” award for his Burning Man Crossroads performances, high praise backstage from Bruce Springsteen after a cinematic, ethereal trumpet solo during a live rendition of Nebraska, his work with the Jazz Mafia, which includes the Brass Mafia, Grateful Brass, and Jazz Mafia Symphony, and the only Country song he wrote by putting music to autobiographical lyrics his dad wrote.

He played with and supported major acts from all musical styles including, Boz Scaggs, Tony! Toni! Tone'!, Thomas Dolby, Lydia Pense & Cold Blood, Lyrics Born, Train, and Josh Groban. He has also done stints with Petula Clarke, Spoon, and Jody Watley.

In his memory, his friends and family want to honor his legacy and his gift to the world by funding music programs at Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, CA; the Santa Clara Vanguard; the Waldorf of the Peninsula in Mountain View, CA. Rich was a Student at Wilcox High School class of '85, a member of Santa Clara Vanguard, and a music teacher at Waldorf of the Peninsula.