Page 77 - Armstrong Bloodline - ebook_Neat

Chapter 9 –

Wayne Leroy and Arlin Lucille

(Anderson) Armstrong &

Family

Wayne Armstrong (Circa 1940 Army picture) was born in a small farm town in
Minnesota and Arlin Anderson (1941 Ellsworth High School graduation picture)
grew up just across the border in Pierce County, Wisconsin.

Wayne L. Armstrong is my direct-line ancestor. He was born on December 25, 1920, in Wahkon, Mille Lacs
259
County, Minnesota.
Just a note here before I get started. For the first time in this narrative, I am personally familiar with the family
members highlighted in this chapter. As a result, a lot of information – both factual and unsubstantiated – has
been passed around the family (especially the Anderson side) and in turn, on to me. Much of it that relates to
my father was negative and most of it relative to my mother was positive. I have struggled with how to fairly
portray my parents in this narrative and have decided to try and steer clear of those stories and gossip I am not
able to substantiate by personal experience or written narrative, regardless of how interesting and juicy they
might be in the telling. As I write this I find that the passage of time has tempered somewhat my views relative
to the past “sins” of my father. On the other hand, I find that I am even more saddened by the short, sad life
that was my mother’s fate. If she could have lived for only a few more years perhaps a daughter-in-law and a
house full of loving grandkids would have tempered her pain and lifted her spirits.

What kind of people were my mother and father? From pictures of them
when they were teenagers and young adults, they were both very good-
looking people. My mother had dark brunette hair, blue eyes, beautiful
dimples in each cheek, and stood 5 feet 6 and 3/4 inches tall. She never
met anyone she couldn't get along with, and was a sincere, sensitive,
somewhat ingenuous person. She also enjoyed a good time and had a
mischievous sense of humor. When she made friends with people they
became strong friends. When she loved someone it was without
reservation, and with a depth that became a part of her inner being.
However, she also had a psychological dark side that would not allow her
emotional wounds to heal. After her marriage fell apart, she would
experience extended periods when she would slide into such depths of
depression as to be inconsolable. At such times her personality would
seem to change and, although never with me, she could be very
aggressive. I witnessed more than one occasion when she directed her ire toward her mother who she blamed
in no small part for my father’s abandonment. Although she loved me with all her heart and wanted to do
everything she could for me, she was never the same after dad left and was never totally whole or happy
again.

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