Peter “Pete” George Armstrong

Peter “Pete” George Armstrong

1948-2024

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Pete Armstrong, beloved father, grandfather, brother and friend. He was 76 years old.

Peter “Pete” George Armstrong was born into a military family. His father was an officer in the U.S. Army, and Pete was born in 1948 at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany.

His father was stationed in bases throughout the U.S. and the world (Germany, Panama, El Paso, Texas, Fort Benning and Milledgeville, Ga.) and the family moved around frequently before Pete’s father retired from the Army in 1963.

Pete lived in Georgia and Florida during his teenage years. He was an active child who loved to fish and spend time outside. He also liked cooking and entertaining, music of all kinds, and American muscle cars.

Upon graduating from Venice High School (Florida) in 1966, Pete enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Romulus, N.Y., and in Albuquerque. He met his first wife, Viola Atencio, at a USO dance in Albuquerque. The couple were married in 1969 and lived for a couple of years in Bradenton, Fla.

Pete and Viola returned to New Mexico in 1971. They had two sons together (Peter George and Matthew David) before parting ways in 1977. Pete married Sharon McGinty in 1984, and the couple divorced in 2001.

Pete fell in love with New Mexico. He had a long civil service career with the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2001, he purchased a historic home in the town of Belen. Pete spent countless hours improving the home and yard. He loved his home and the quaintness of small-town life.

Pete’s many friends and neighbors were an important part of his life. He was outgoing and always ready to share a story and a smile. With friends, he enjoyed fishing, cooking, entertaining (Fourth of July and Thanksgiving were favorite holidays), and the simple pleasure of enjoying a beer sitting on the porch.

Pete loved plants and the natural world. He became a master gardener. Upon retiring from DOE, he started a landscaping business in Belen. Pete was also active in civic and business organizations in Belen. He was a long-term member of the Rotary Club, served as a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, and volunteered as a member of the city of Belen Planning and Zoning Commission.

He was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in September 2022, and moved to a care facility in November of that year. With his sons at his side, he died of complications of that disease on June 19, 2024.

Pete is survived by his sons, Peter (Sharon Wylie) and Matthew (Shanan); grandsons, Noah, Jacob and Randall; and sisters, Nanette Hogue, Carolyn Lawson, Catherine Moore and Betty Schnur.

He is predeceased by his father, Douglas Albright Armstrong; and his mother, Helen Louise Oakland (Aschbacher).

A celebration of life for Peter will be held at Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel, 418 W. Reinken Ave., in Belen, at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, July 14. A lunch reception will follow at the Valencia County Sheriff’s Posse Café at 1 p.m.

Arrangements are being handled by the caring professionals at the Noblin Funeral Service Belen Chapel, where an online guest register is available at noblin.com.