Dorothy Armstrong

Dorothy Anne Armstrong, 99, died on Sunday, October 29, 2023, in Kennewick, Washington. She was doing well until she fell and broke the Femur in her leg.

Dorothy will be buried next to her husband in the Choteau Cemetery. A graveside service is on Saturday, November 4. Services are by Frontier Funeral Home formerly Gorder-Jensen Funeral Home.

Dorothy was born February 17, 1924 in Choteau, Montana to John G. and Alida Jackson. She grew up in Choteau when there were many vacant lots and its boundaries were a lot smaller. Having been the daughter of one of the early pioneers of the town (John G. Jackson). The town's growth and history were always of great interest to her.

She swam in the swimming pool the first year it was built. As a little girl she used to tag along with the man that watered the newly planted trees on Choteau's boulevard.

Her mother Alida Jackson died when Dorothy was twelve years old so she took over the duties of keeping house, learning to cook and to go to school. During her high school years she was Usherette at the Royal Theater in Choteau.

When she graduated from Teton County High School, she went to work for Arnold Hanusa in his newly purchased Insurance business. This was the beginning of what is now Westmont Agency. Later that year she worked for the local J.C. Penny store.

In May of 1943 she went to Seattle to marry her high school sweetheart, Robert Armstrong. Robert was serving in the US Coast Guard at the time. They were married on June 21 at the St. Alphonsus Rectory in Ballard, Washington.

In Seattle she worked for Puget Sound Navigation Co. as the Government Accounts Bookkeeper. This was the company that operated the Ferry Boats on Puget Sound. Later she worked for Olympic Steamship handling the manifests for the supply ships to the South Pacific. In 1945 she served as Deputy Clerk of Court for Teton County. In 1946 when her husband was discharged from the service, she started work at the Citizens State Bank in Choteau. She was head cashier for a number of years. Later she became an officer. When the Citizens State Bank moved from the old location to the new building, Dorothy had the desk in front of the vault where she would meet with clients and helped them solve their problems. She worked there until she retired in 1989, except for four years when her son Scott was little. Dorothy was the second female to work at the Bank and the first person to work to full retirement.

She was a member of the Choteau Methodist Church, American Legion Auxiliary and Order of the Eastern Star. She was a First Aid and CPR instructor. After she became an Emergency Medical Technician, she served on the Teton County Ambulance. Through the years she helped with various drives. When the mobile X-Ray vans came to town she went door-to-door making appointments and then typed the information for the actual X-Ray process.

Dorothy was Auditor for the Methodist Church. She was Treasurer of the Eastern Star for over thirty years. She has been a member of the Eastern Star for over 70 years and received her 50-year member pin and received lifetime member status.

She took up skiing at age 42 to join her husband and son on the ski slopes of Teton Pass.

Dorothy and Bob were very much in love and after retirement could be seen walking down the sidewalks of Choteau - hand in hand. After Dorothy retired the two of them took numerous Bus Tours and Cruises seeing many states and locations. They were able to visit every state except one.

Her husband of 62 years died in 2005 and in 2007 at the age of 83 she sold the family house she had lived in all of her life and went to live with her son, Scott in Kennewick, Washington.

Dorothy and Scott would frequently go out to lunch and visit and were notable regulars at many restaurants. Dorothy and Scott were best friends as well and Mother and Son. Her mind was very good and she could remember many things and knew a great deal of the history of Choteau.

She is survived by her son, Scott Armstrong of Kennewick, Washington and several nieces and nephews.