Thelma Armstrong

She was born February 22, 1927 in Teaneck, NJ. She was the daughter of Fred and Clara (Wollenberg) Mueller, for whom she had an extraordinary sense of love and respect; her mom was her best friend. She grew up in Teaneck and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1945.

After listening to a speaker from AC Nielsen during her high school art class, she was inspired to use her artistic talents in her first job. She was very fond of taking the train, ferry, and then bus, into New York City to 5th Avenue and 42nd Street and riding the elevator all the way up to the 41st floor, to her job drawing large charts and graphs.

She later worked at the YMCA, and also enjoyed dancing there every week. She then moved to Rochelle Park and started a family. She was delighted that her beloved mom and dad lived around the block, just a short walk away where she and her kids could visit anytime.

She then relocated to Jordan Drive in Toms River in 1965. Her parents moved just 10 minutes away to Cedar Glen, where she would also move later in life. She was dedicated to her children and engaged in their activities, teaching her daughter how to sew and bake, and supporting her son in Cub Scouts and the marching band.

In Toms River she worked in several elementary schools, including North Dover, Hooper Avenue, Walnut Street, Beachwood, and Silver Bay, as a Teacher’s Aide in the special education group. The teachers with whom she was partnered loved having Thelma in the classroom. She brought not only a genuine love for the children, but also her creative talents, her sense of humor, and her dedication.

She moved to Cedar Glen in 1977 and quickly became an active and beloved member of the community. She enjoyed going for walks and chatting with her neighbors. She would take her grandchildren to the river and see if their homemade foil boats would float. She attended and taught classes in the Cedar Glen hall, including line dancing - the Chicken Dance was one of her favorites. Neighbors frequently saw Thelma wave hi as she biked around the streets. Of course, her artistic talents were part of her contribution to the community as well, as she designed and painted signs and flyers. One of her favorite parts of her home on Elm was her large front porch and vibrant garden. The centerpiece of her porch was her table, which was always covered in wood projects, bottles of paint, scraps of material, and snippets of paper with sketches that she would later use for a craft. From her table, she could look outside and see the deer walking by, the squirrels running up her large oak tree, and the birds pecking at bird seed in her homemade bird houses and feeders. And just outside her front door was her spectacular garden, where she grew so many bright and beautiful flowers. She would often give visitors a cutting to take home with them.

The walls of her home were covered in crafts, most of which she had made, and had her signature “TA” in the corner. While sitting on her porch enjoying a cup of coffee, one could look around at all of the handmade creations – painted woodwork, dolls, quilts, wreaths, and floral arrangements. You would not only admire the museum of artwork around you, but you’d also likely go home with something as she usually made dozens of each item to give out to friends and family. Visitors would also often go home with a piece of apple cake, a slice of stollen, or some rice pudding with raisins. She loved baking and cooking, using recipes that she knew by heart, those her mom and dad had passed down to her, those that she made up herself, and those that were clipped from magazines.

In addition to painting, sewing, crocheting, knitting, and baking, Thelma was an incredible musician. She could briefly listen to a song, and then play it on the organ with ease. She would spend hours at the organ playing her favorite songs, and captivating those who visited her home. She loved listening to and dancing to music as well, and spent many evenings with her husband George on the dance floor at PJ Ruggles. She also enjoyed the sense of community around music, and made several friends through the events she attended at Royal Music.

Thelma loved living so close to the beach. She took her kids, and later grandkids, swimming in the ocean at Seaside Park. And she would frequently invite a grandchild to go to the beach around sunset to go for a long walk, looking for shells along the shoreline, and practice line dancing, with evidence of the fun left behind as footprints in the sand. As a young adult, she vacationed in Ocean Grove with her family and made wonderful summertime memories. Her appreciation for the beach was seen in many of her crafts, including paintings of the ocean and plaques with seagulls flying over the dunes.

She was a dedicated parishioner at the Presbyterian Church of Toms River. She enjoyed participating in the services, attending the various concerts, and then stopping at the diner on the way home for some coffee and crumb cake.

Throughout her life, Thelma was always up for an adventure. She would take road trips to visit her son and his family in Pennsylvania and then later Virginia. She frequently brought a grandchild along for the ride. When she arrived at her son’s home, there was inevitably a funny story about something that happened along the way.

She spent the last year of her life at Magnolia Gardens. As she had done throughout her life, she promptly made friends throughout the center and enjoyed the arts and crafts activities. With the elevator and group dining, she felt like she was living in a nice hotel. And to her delight, there was a grand piano in the lobby. She would take a seat at the piano and immerse herself in playing songs from yesteryear, entertaining the crowd of residents who would gather around to listen.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Gladys Kincaid, her husband George W. Armstrong, and her son David O’Connell. She is survived by her daughter, Kathy Jeskey of Largo, FL, and daughter-in-law Kathy Cochran of Williamsburg, VA; five grandchildren, Danielle McLachlan of Los Angeles, CA, Jared Effenberger of Port Richey, FL, Jaden Effenberger of Spring Hill, FL, Joshua O’Connell of Sterling, VA, and Rebekah Morrison of Toano, VA; and 7 great-grandchildren Mason and Corbin McLachlan; Cynthia, Kasandra, and Jaden Effenberger; Emalyn O’Connell; and Jackson Morrison.

A memorial service will take place on Friday, June 25 at 11AM in the Sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church of Toms River. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you do something that Thelma would have enjoyed doing – have a cup of coffee, tend to your garden, sketch some wildflowers, or work on some crafts for an upcoming holiday.