Wenzel Edward (W.E. 'Duke') Armstrong, 79

Wenzel Edward (W.E. “Duke”) Armstrong, 79, passed away on Thursday, July 22, 2010, in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 29, 2010, at the Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint.

Duke was born on Sept. 21, 1930, in Mankato, Minn., the son of Jacob and Anna (Kober) Armstrong. He grew up with his brother and two sisters during the depression on a farm in Minnesota and later graduated from high school in Mapleton, Minn.

He entered the Navy as an aerial photographer, serving much of his four-year enlistment in Whidbey Island, Wash., and Kodiak, Alaska.

While stationed at Whidbey Island, Duke met Carole Stott in Mt. Vernon, Wash., where she worked. They married on June 6, 1953 in Mankato.

Duke studied Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. After graduation with highest honors from veterinary school in 1958, Duke and Carole moved to Bangor, Maine, to practice. Desiring more large animal work, they soon moved back to Fergus Falls, Minn., where Duke spent the next 25 years practicing large and small animal veterinary medicine.

Outdoor recreation and a love for nature had been a part of Duke’s life for as long as he could remember. Duke “semi-retired” and moved to Sandpoint in 1983. He lived his dream: elk, moose, and deer hunting for months in the fall; skiing six to seven days a week in the winter; turkey hunting in the spring; and huckleberry picking and fishing in the summer.

Duke and Carole celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2003 by taking a train/bus/cruise trip to Alaska with their college friends, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. They returned home to celebrate with all five children and families in Bayview, Idaho.

He is survived by his wife Carole in Sandpoint; sons, Ted (Cathy) Armstrong in Bayview, Dan Armstrong in Corvallis, Ore., and Ben (Nerissa) Armstrong in Boise, Idaho; daughters, Nancy (Lawrence) Berry in Memphis, Tenn., and Susan (Michael) Paul in Applegate, Ore. (working in South Korea); 17 grandchildren; his brother and one sister.

We celebrate that Duke had given his heart to the Lord six days prior to his passing away. He will forever be in our hearts on earth and with us eternally in heaven.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Duke’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.