Nancy Armstrong Sundin died on Sept. 17, 2021. She was 69.

In 2007, she had been diagnosed with diabetes, and since March 2021 had suffered with multiple serious lung diseases. Before life support was withdrawn, her family was present as The Rev. Ray Roberts married Nancy’s daughter Elisabeth to Chris Duffey.

The old saying “adversity does not build character, it just reveals it” applies to Nancy’s noble character, self-reliance and personality. She overcame obstacles with dignity. During her illness, many friends were optimistic that she would fully recover because she was always upbeat and positive.

Nancy Lynn Armstrong was born in New Brunswick, N.J. on May 18, 1952 to Roger and Irene Armstrong. She grew up in Milltown, N.J. She was close to her mother’s parents Edward and Irene Andrews who were, in addition to her own parents, role models.

The family settled in Tulsa, Okla. in 1972 because of her father’s work for Williams Companies. In 1974 she graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor of science in elementary education. She was in Gamma Phi Beta sorority and was popular and outgoing, which led to her selection as the Roughneck Queen who sat next to the Conestoga Wagon driver during football games.

After graduation, she taught school for the Air Force on Guam. As a third grade teacher in Germany, she taught Army servicemen’s children at the Cooke Barracks and lived in the small town of Goppingen. Every parent wanted their children to be taught by her since she was outstanding at her profession. She was vivacious and had the natural talent to develop her students.

She was adventurous and wanted to see the world, traveling extensively throughout the Far East, Japan, Germany and Europe. She participated in many activities including certification in SCUBA diving, lifeguarding and skiing.

In Germany she met her future husband, Army officer Eric Sundin. In July 1980, they married in Tulsa and then returned to Germany for the last year of his duty tour. Eric resigned from the Army in 1982 and was hired by the computer company Control Data Corporation in Richmond, Va. She took parenting seriously and provided support, nurturing and guidance to her children, Carl, Drew and Elisabeth. She was heavily involved in all the children’s school and athletic activities, sat on PTA boards and organized many social events for parents and school children.

She joined many organizations in Richmond, such as Tuckahoe Women’s Club, Garden Club, Blue Star, Daughters of the American Revolution and church fellowship committees.

Because her father fought in World War II, Nancy was fiercely patriotic. When her son Carl went to Iraq with the Army in 2007, she was a key leaders in the local Richmond Blue Star chapter to support the wives and children of his unit. She sent a constant stream of care packages provided by members of River Road Presbyterian Church.

The family had vacation homes on Martha’s Vineyard, at the Outer Banks of N.C. and Wintergreen, Va. Nancy enjoyed having her friends visit and always had plenty of activities for everyone to enjoy. She particularly enjoyed having her mother and father travel with the family to the Sundin cottage in Makonikey. On the way to the Vineyard, the family would stay in Newport and visit the beautiful mansions.

She is survived by her husband Eric, children Carl Alvar Jr., Drew Armstrong and Elisabeth Irene; siblings Patti Bentley, Craig Armstrong, Gretchen Tomko, and her mother Irene Armstrong of Tulsa, Okla.

She was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on Jan. 28, near her father.