William Armstrong

William Paul “Blue” Armstrong left this world on August 21, 2026, at home and cared for by
family. He was born on the 4th of July, 1954 in Indianapolis, IN to William Paul Armstrong Sr.
and Saundra Kantner Armstrong. Blue spent his first fourteen years on the family farm on
Pipe Creek outside of Alexandria, IN. It was along Pipe Creek that his lifelong connection
with nature was formed.
Blue attended four different high schools in four years. After graduation in 1972, he moved
to Hillsdale, MI, and in 1973 met Betsy Hook, his partner for the rest of his life. They moved
to Ann Arbor, MI in 1975 and married there in 1979. In 1981 they moved to Dillon, MT after
Blue read an article in Fly Fisherman magazine about the mighty Beaverhead River. Here
Blue found his paradise.
Blue worked various jobs in Dillon including farming with Jim Blake and working at Dick
Sharon’s fly shop. He worked maintenance and security for several years at Western
Montana College. He volunteered at Bike Walk Southwest Montana, aka The Bike Park on
Overland Road, where he loved meeting bicyclists from across the country and many from
all over the world.
In 1993 he started his own pow-wow drum, Calling Mountain, and remained on the pow-wow
trail for 19 years. He also played double bass in several improvised music collectives. He
was a Leo Records, (London, Eng.) recording artist. These activities coincided with his
lifelong environmental activism.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers-in-law Steve Hook and Brooks Kindel,
and his close made brother Rob Wiggins. He is survived by his wife Betsy, his brothers John,
Scott and Richard Armstrong, as well as his sister-in-law Margie Kindel, and brother-in-law
Jim (Cappy) Hook, and numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his
traditionally made relatives The Whiteman family of Lame Deer, MT and Dan Brunkhorst of
Lewistown, MT.
He deeply loved his time in Montana and had a special affinity for Beaverhead County. Horse
Praire, Medicine Lodge and the southern part of the county were especially treasured. His
dying wish was for the continued protection of these jewels of the Northern Rockies’
The family wants to thank Dr. McIntyre, Dr. Heuer, Sarah and Jamie at Honeybee Hospice,
and Bryan Coble at Affordable Funeral and Cremation Services who made a “green” burial
possible at Mountain View Cemetery. A special thanks to Dan Brunkhorst for seeing Blue out in a manner for which Blue would have been very grateful.