George A ARMSTRONG b. 14 Jul 1929 , Rusk, Texas, USA d. 10 Jul 2016 Tyler, Smith, Texas, USA: An Armstrong & A Heffernan

1929 - 2016 (86 years)

Name	George A ARMSTRONG [1, 2, 3]
Born	14 Jul 1929	, Rusk, Texas, USA [4, 5]
Gender	Male
Name	Jay Armstrong
Military	Abt 1946	Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA
	United States Army Air Corp
	He was only in the Corp long enough to find out that they were not going to teach him to fly like they had promised him in the recruitment office. He never forgave them for that and went through a protracted battle with them years later when they called him to finish his enlistment period. He told me that he told the man who was going to send him to prison, "I don't want to go to a foreign country and kill people I don't know. I'm not mad at them and have no wish to see them dead. If you want them dead, you go kill them and I'll stay here and do your paperwork." He didn't go to Vietnam and he didn't go to prison, so I guess it all worked out okay.
Hobby	Abt 1953	Houston, Harris, Texas, USA
	Race Car Driver
	He raced mostly in the Houston area but moved to stunt car driving before Gina was born. He left us a scrap book filled with newspaper articles and pictures of his driving career. Once when we were chugging along the freeway at 50 miles an hour, I asked him why he drove so slow after being a racecar driver. His answer, "I'm a good driver and I know it but these other people might not be. On a racetrack, everyone is good so it's a lot safer there than on this freeway. Always keep that in mind when you're driving. There might be a kid who just got his license in the car next to you."
Hobby	Abt 1956
	Pilot
	He took his first ride as a very young man, got his private license while Wanda was pregnant with Gina, his commercial license a few years later and was still flying ocassionally in 2009. At one time, he owned a flight school at LaPorte, Texas, where he taught much of the Pasadena police force to fly and also ran an air taxi and air freight service. Wanda's kids grew up in small airplanes like most kids rode in cars. When he ws teaching me (Gina) to fly, he always said that landing is a controlled crash. "Take it to 8 inches off the ground and crash it." With that philosophy, he survived many situations that might have gone badly.
Occupation	Between 1960 and 1995	Houston, Harris, Texas, USA
	Longshoreman
	He worked at the Port of Houston and ended up in the gear room fixing broken things when he could no longer muscle his way through a day.
Hobby	Abt 1963	Houston, Harris, Texas, USA
	Skydiver
	He was in several jump clubs and jumped all over the area. He quit in about 1968. At his last meet, he took me with him and there was an emergency that day when a chute failed to open. I was 12 years old, I didn't know where we were and didn't know any of the other people there. When Dad finally got back to our spot, I asked him, "Daddy, what should I do if your parachute doesn't open?" He told me he never jumped again.
Died	10 Jul 2016	Tyler, Smith, Texas, USA
		Armstrong, George A death certificate
Fact	11 Jul 2016	, Rusk, Texas, USA
	eulogy
	... equal parts race car driver, pilot, stunt car driver and musician. Hollywood stuntman, skydiver, stunt pilot and voodoo physician. Smuggler, entrepeneur, patriot and rebel. Charmed the angels and scared off the devil. Uncle George to some, but a friend to all. Outlaw, inlaw, their daddy and my grandpaw. Mexico, Guatemala, Central America and Panama, We're 1400 miles from home but they all know your name, Grandpaw. He conquered his life in the most amazing way, Most of you don't know it but superman died today. I love you, Grandpaw, I'm gonna miss you, Boo.
Buried	15 Jul 2016	Minden, Rusk, Texas, USA
	Address: Maple Grove Cemetery Rusk County Rusk County, Texas
Person ID	I30	An Armstrong & A Heffernan
Last Modified	14 Mar 2022

Father	Ruben ARMSTRONG, b. 13 Jul 1895, Rogers, Benton, Arkansas, USA , d. 24 Jun 1969, Henderson, Rusk, Texas, USA (Age 73 years)
Mother	Neeley Neana MILLS, b. 30 Aug 1896, Linn Flat, Nacogdoches, Texas, USA , d. 17 Jun 1983, Henderson, Rusk, Texas, USA (Age 86 years)
Married	2 Jun 1916	, Rusk, Texas, USA [6, 7]
	Gregg Co, Texas Marriage Book, book N page 379. (Two marriage licenses?) Grandma and Grandpa were separated even when I was a child in the late 50s, each one living with a different child.
		Armstrong, Ruben and Neeley Mills wedding day!
Photos		Armstrong, Ruben and Neeley's family Standing: Pete, George, Perkin, Irene, Nettie Mae, Elzie, Robert. Sitting: Neeley, Ruben. I remember this photo being made at Robert's house but I'm unsure of the exact year, maybe 1965ish.
Photos		Armstrong, Ruben and Neeley's family Irene, George (back), Ruben, Nettie, Neeley, Elzie, Robert, Perkin. this would have been in the early 60s.
Family ID	F7	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1	Living
Last Modified	12 Jul 2016
Family ID	F52	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 2 Living

Children

1. George A ARMSTRONG, Jr, b. 12 Sep 1951, , Dallas, Texas, USA

, d. 15 May 2009, Henderson, Rusk, Texas, USA

(Age 57 years)

Last Modified 3 Dec 2015

Family ID F54 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Family 3 Wanda June SENN, b. 22 Jan 1935, Rockdale, Milam, Texas, USA , d. 10 Mar 2022, Texas City, Galveston, Texas, USA (Age 87 years)

Married 4 Dec 1953 Houston, Harris, Texas, USA [8, 9]

Children

	1. Living
	2. Living
	3. Living
	4. Living

Photos At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Last Modified 14 Mar 2022

Family ID F56 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Family 4 Vaulta Bell GARDNER, b. 9 Jun 1943, , Butler, Missouri, USA , d. 27 Nov 2004, , Rusk, Texas, USA (Age 61 years)

Married 19 Nov 1973 Houston, Harris, Texas, USA [10]

Children

1. Glen Allen ARMSTRONG, b. 24 Jun 1970, Pasadena, Harris, Texas, USA

, d. 6 Nov 2009, Tyler, Smith, Texas, USA

(Age 39 years) [Adopted]

Last Modified 3 Dec 2015

Family ID F57 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Photos » Slide Show		in the Air Force He didn't like the Air Force because they wouldn't teach him to fly.
		Armstrong, George, Gina, Wanda, Irene I'm not sure of the young man on the far left, then George with Gina and Wanda (looking at photos) and Irene barely in the picture.
		George A Armstrong at a Family Reunion
		Armstrong Family I believe the older seated couple are Mary and Lawrence with Tooter. Standing are Robert, Perkin, George and Irene.
		All his kids At Family Reunion. Back Row L-R: David, George Alan, and Scott. Front Row L-R: George A Jr, Glen Allen, Sandra Carol Robinson Mullens, Gina Gale Armstrong Heffernan.
		Still racing in 2000! 29 was a good car and George earned a lot of points with it.
		Thumping on his guitar He also has a banjo and can pick out a couple of tunes on the piano.
		Holding his girls. He always had a soft spot for girls, big, little, old young, doesn't matter.
		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
		Armstrong, Ruben and Neeley's family Irene, George (back), Ruben, Nettie, Neeley, Elzie, Robert, Perkin. this would have been in the early 60s.

Notes

Dad had 7 children that I personally know about, 4 from one wife, 2 from two others and he adopted the son of his last wife. Dad told me that I had another brother who died in a motorcycle accident at the age of 17. This would make him born about 1953 but I don't know who he was or his mother's name. I waited too long to ask and the dementia was too bad for him to remember.

In a letter from George to Neeley
Sunday (sometime in 1946)
I get paid Wednesday. Almost through Basic. I went to the show this afternoon and I have some film to send home.

In a letter from George to Neeley with no date
Sunday night (abt November of 1946?)
I went to Alabama and got that boy. I let him go home first though. I could have got 6 months in the guard house for that. He has a pretty niece though, she's 16. I hate KP on Sunday. I will make out an allotment soon. It rains every day. I will try to come home on Christmas.

In a letter from George to Neeley 6/23/47
Greenville, South Carolina to Mt. Enterprise
Came through Arkansas, Tennessee, & North Carolina. Saw some of the Ozarks. We made ice cream yesterday. I think I have a job driving a tractor. [This probably when he left the Corp and came back to Dallas.]

Another letter dated 6/23/47
Tried to go into the Navy, have to wait three weeks. Tried to go to Marines. Need to borrow $10. I want to buy a house (not with the $10).

Sources

[S131] Armstrong, George A, George A Armstrong.
I don't have a middle name, just the Initial A. Dad liked the way it sounded (jor-jay) but Pete couldn't say it right and everybody started calling me JayJay. My mom and dad never called me George but always called me George A until they died.
[S767] Obituary, Henderson Daily News, 18 June 1983, Neeley Armstrong.
George A Armstrong
[S1841] 1930 Rusk TX, ED 23, pg 9B.
George E Armstrong
[S131] Armstrong, George A.
"I was born on 14 Jul 1929 on our farm but when I went to the old doc to get a birth certificate to join the Army, he asked me if I was born in 1928 and I said yes. I like this birth date, 7 times 2 is 14 and times 2 is 28."
[S1841] 1930 Rusk TX, ED 23, pg 9B.
age 8/12, Texas
[S217] Cemetery, Maple Grove, Rusk, TX, Ruben Armstrong.
2 June 1916
[S1249] Texas Marriages, 1837-1973, (FamilySearch.org), Armstrong, Rueben.
to Neeley Mills, 2 Jun 1916, Rusk County, Texas
[S355] Holzworth, Wanda Senn, George A Armstrong.
12 Dec 1954 at the courthouse
[S1253] Texas Divorce Index, 1968-2010, (FamilySearch.org), Armstrong, George A.
Wanda J Armstrong, married 4 Dec 1953, divorced 10 Mar 1970, Harris County
[S337] Harris Co, Texas Marriage Book, Armstrong, George A.
to Vaulta B Gardner, 19 Nov 1973,