Thomas William Armstrong

Thomas William Armstrong, age 77 of the Mexican War Streets, passed peacefully on Sunday, August 3rd.  Tom is survived and will be deeply missed by his children, Meredith Armstrong Repetto (Richard) and Andrew B. Armstrong (Elsa), grandchildren, Thomas and Alice Repetto and Hollis, Martha, and Caroline Armstrong, brother, John Armstrong, and dear friend, Jan Ban.  Tom was predeceased by his wife of 39 years, Marjorie Armstrong.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Tom was a graduate of Fox Chapel High School, Washington and Jefferson College, and Lehigh University, where he received his MBA.  During his career as a municipal bond salesman at Mellon, PNC, and National City, he made innumerable friends and most importantly, met his wife, Marjie.  Tom was a true urbanist who meaningfully and positively impacted the City of Pittsburgh by serving as a member of the City Planning Commission for 24 years, including as its chairman for 15 years.  More recently, he served his beloved Pittsburgh region as a member of the board of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation.

Tom was an avid hiker who completed the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge fifteen times, including in 2018 when he proudly finished first in the “geezer division” and most recently at age 75 when he was the fastest at his age.  He loved doing long walks through Frick Park and other areas of the city, including up and down some of Pittsburgh’s nearly 800 sets of city-owned steps.  Tom was an enthusiastic cyclist, having completed many long-distance rides with his “biker boys,” including RAGBRAI in 2012 and a ride down the West Coast from Canada to Mexico in 2014.  Earlier in his life, Tom was a dedicated runner, completing dozens of marathons, including the Boston Marathon and many others in under three hours.

As a longtime member of the Teutonia Männerchor, Tom loved shooting pool and collected many valuable billiards trophies.  He was a zealous gardener who kept immaculate and beautifully designed gardens at each of his homes.

Most importantly, Tom was a proud and engaged husband, father, and Pop Pop who never missed an opportunity to brag about his kids and grandkids, and he made frequent trips to Philadelphia to spend time with his grandkids and support their athletic pursuits.  He ensured that his Philadelphia-based grandkids had a respectable baseline knowledge of Pittsburgh sports, specifically of Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Franco Harris, Mario Lemieux, and notable events in Pirates history.  He kept them humble with sporadic reminders that Pittsburgh has more World Series, Super Bowl, and Stanley Cup championships than Philadelphia.

His family and countless friends will remember Tom for his warmth and unmatched positivity, his kindness, his humor, and his genuine interest in those around him. Tom always saw the best in others and had a unique ability to make others feel important and heard.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy, or the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.  Arrangements by John A. Freyvogel Sons, Inc. (freyvogelfuneralhome.com)

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