April 5, 1950 – November 3, 2019
Stanley (Stan) N. Armstrong
April 5, 1950 – November 3, 2019
After a courageous battle with cancer, Stan passed away in the Palliative Care Center at Strong Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his wife Terri, his children Alison (Luke Hubbard), Jane (formerly known as John) and Kate. He is also survived by his brother Robert Armstrong (Suzanne Aubrey), Niece Genevieve Ackerman, sisters, Mary Armstrong (Walter Klymkiw), Sheila Armstrong (Richard Bourget), nieces (Mylène and Émilie Armstrong) aunts, cousins and extended family Nancy, Blair and Hillary Brown, sister-in-law Marie Kaplan (Joel) and family and close friends. He spent some days with his grand-dog Ms. Pepperloaf.
Stan was born to Canadian parents John B. Armstrong and Dorothy M. Armstrong (Green) in London, England and was raised primarily in Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from University of Toronto Schools (UTS) and holds a degree in Biomedical Science from McGill University. He attended CCFL and RIT. Stan worked in a variety of careers before entering the IT field. He finished his working days as a systems programmer after 19 years at Excellus BCBS. He was a lover of family, the great outdoors, the Jersey shore, music and puzzles. He loved to tell stories and share a “Dad” joke or two.
A celebration of Stan’s life will take place on Sunday, December 1st with stories and remembrances from 12 noon to 2 p.m. in the White House Lodge at 1100 Lake Road, Webster NY 14580. Those wishing to honor Stan please consider making a donation to the House of Mercy, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood or your favorite charity.
Comments
20 responses to “Armstrong, Stanley (Stan) N.”
With a Heavy Heart, Part I (My apologies, but I had to split this because of word limits.)
As I think back over the years of working with Stan, words seem inadequate to express how I feel about his passing. I know he was ill, but for him to leave this earth at such a young age and having shared part of his work-life, is sorrowful for me.
Over the past 11+ years that I’ve known Stan, I can’t help to feel a loss in the pit of my stomach. Stan had a funny way of expressing himself and had jokes that I sometimes didn’t get. He had to explain them to me. THEN, I’d laugh. Stan loved to talk and talk about techie and robotic stuff. He just loved being a nerd and was good at it, too. ?
With a Heavy Heart, Part II
He was the best Systems Upgrade and Systems Maintenance partner I could ever ask for. And I sincerely mean that. We had our own synergy on the job that worked well for the both of us. The rare times that I needed to speak to him, Stan never got mad if I had to call off-hours. He was always there when I needed him. One time I was performing System Maintenance and forgot to check to see if Stan was going to log on and assist. Sure enough, when I logged on that night, Stan was online and ready to validate. I never had to ask him. He just knew what our job was. He was there not just for the company, but for me. And for that, I sincerely appreciated it.
With a Heavy Heart, Part III
When Stan and I drove down to IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY to ask IBM questions about MIM to GRS, I really enjoyed the ride both ways. We talked and talked about our lives and what we wanted to do after Excellus. It was an opportunity to see that much more of the man, my counterpart. He spoke very highly of his wife and children. He also spoke of his Mom and the award she received for reaching 100 years of age from the Prime Minister of Canada. Even though it was getting dark on the ride down to Poughkeepsie, I could see delight on his face and could hear pride in his voice as he spoke of his family while telling me his wonderful stories.
With a Heavy Heart, Part IV
As with any IT professional, we sometimes have differences of an opinion on how to do things. Well, despite those rare differences, one couldn’t help yielding to Stan’s point of view. Stan had that “thing” about him. He was good at commanding a room that certainly got people to listen and respect what he was saying. He was good at putting 2 and 2 together. His math skills were second to none. I remember the first time we were talking about something with numbers and he was rattling things off the top of his head. I looked at him and asked, “Is that math?” He stopped for a second and with the biggest smile on his face, he chuckled. He wasn’t expecting a joke as a response. So, I told him he could figure it out and let me know when he was done. We both had a good laugh. And as it turns out, that became my usual response to him whenever he’d roll those numbers off the tip of his tongue. It always made him chuckle.
With a Heavy Heart, Part V
Stan played an integral part to our team and to Excellus. He brought so much knowledge to our Tech Support family. Stan was a heck of a smart cookie and I admired and respected him for that. There was genius, funny, goodness, dedication, and kindness in his heart, mind, and soul. That was our Stan in a nutshell.
“Stan-the-main-man you will be missed. We will hold on tight to our memories so that your soul will live on forever in our hearts as you smile down on us from Heaven.” My sincerest condolences to the Armstrong Family.
“Stan, God Bless you, Forever and a Day.” Millie
Millie, this is Stan’s daughter Ali… thank you so much for these kind words. They warm my heart.
Stan, You Will Be Missed! Love You Man! (};
Wow!!! Sad news for sure. I worked with Stan at First Federal back in the 1980’s and 90’s. Being in IT together we worked some odd hours doing system conversions and upgrades. Stan was always there to answer any questions or solve any problems. Yes he had his moments as we all did, but he was a good guy and co-worker. He will be missed for sure. RIP Stan.
The world has lost a gentleman and a wonderful human being. So fondly remembered — glad I got to know him.
Thank you Virginia. He loved his meetings and the friendships. He always looked forward to the St. Patty’s Day gathering. Terri
Thank you Mark.
I attended high school in Toronto with ‘Stan the Man’. The night before his death, twenty of our class gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our graduation. When I learned of his passing and advised our classmates, a stream of remembrances flooded back from classmates around the world. I will share these with Terri and she can decide which are suitable for sharing more widely! I will also pass along several photographs I took after our football team won our division championship. Stan was a key member of that team, always finishing games with equal amounts of blood and dirt on his uniform. As one our classmates noted, a lot of water went under his bridge. RIP Stan and condolences to his family.
I wish I had known that Stan was ill, but having moved recently I was out of the loop.. He was a regular at our meetings; walking in rain, sleet, and snow. Stan was always very pleasant and personable and helpful. He was a pro when it came to preparing potatoes and carrots for our annual St. Patrick’s Day gathering. Stan was a gentleman and I will miss him.
(I just received this link.) I am so sad at Stan’s passing. It’s unfair that he didn’t get to enjoy his retirement. I’ve known Stan since 1985 (give or take) when RCSB converted to IBM. Stan was the most knowledgeable person in this field that I’ve known. He did not fit the stereotype of System Programmers that was common at that time. He would always talk to us lowly Application Programmers; stopping to explain whatever issue we presented to him – and then we would talk and laugh. I’ve also worked with him at 1st Federal and now Excellus, and knew I could bring any problem to him and get an understandable (and correct) answer. I wish I had known him outside of work, but will always remember him fondly. My best to his family and friends.
Steve
Stan was mentoring students on Fairport Robotics Team 578 when I met him in 2009. In that role he helped students learn about using software to control robots and more importaantly about GP (Gracious Professionalism). Stan and I kept in touch over the years and would talk on the bus during our commute about the robotics team, our families, and various life events. In early 2019 as Stan prepared to retire from Excellus he talked about the positive people and culture at work. Sadly when I accepted a position at Excellus it was after Stan had retired so I wasn’t able to work with him. My sympathies go our to his family and friends for this loss.
On behalf of all of the mentors and students of Fairport Red Raider Robotics – Team 578, we send our deepest sympathies to Stan and his family. He was a long time mentor to the team and all involved grew from his skills and “GP”. We thank him for his work and were proud to have him as a member of our robotics family.
Thank you Team 578. He was always proud to part of the team.
I was Stan’s Manager for over 10 years at First Federal Savings and Loan.He did a outstanding job. He was my go to guy for operating systems implementations and problem resolution issues. He later went on to support the new UNIX environment at the bank. Stan had the ability to be a self starter and pick up complex computer issues very quickly which is why he became “Stan the Man”. We met periodically outside of work at parties, golf, etc. My wife Patti and I are very sad over his passing. Terri our deepest condolences for your loss. Terri please contact us if we can help in any way..
Hi Karl,
Thank you so much for your gracious comments. He always loved problem solving and the great people at work.
I moved away several years ago but remember Stan dearly from the First Federal Days. As others have said he was not only good (great) at his job, but he was a better person. Always cared for those around him. My heartfelt sympathy to his family.