James Stephen Armour died in Stamford on Oct. 7, 2016, at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, former Darien Representative Town Meeting Moderator Karen Ahlberg Armour.
James Armour, 86, died on Oct. 7. A memorial service will be held at a later date this fall.
Jim was born on Jan. 27, 1930, in Brooklyn, and grew up in Larchmont, N.Y., where he met lifelong friends and fly-fishing buddies Larry Rosenstadt, Ed Nusbaum, and Joe Andress; became an Eagle Scout; and graduated from Mamaroneck High School.
Jim earned a bachelor of arts in political science from Syracuse University, where he was a proud member of Alpha Phi Omega, the only non-sectarian and racially integrated fraternity operating on campus at that time.
He was profoundly affected by his U.S. Army service in the Korean War and recounted many spellbinding stories of his more-than-a-year’s time in active combat. Jim earned a master’s of business administration from Cornell University and went on to build a career in marketing and sales in the paper and printing industries.
He met Karen at a Kentucky Derby party in Manhattan, and they married in 1966. They settled in Darien, where they raised their daughters and, later, he became an enthusiastic member of the Darien Men’s Association.
Jim and Karen continued the party throughout their 50 years of marriage. After they retired, they began spending summers surrounded by friends and their growing family on beautiful Lake Massawippi in North Hatley, Quebec.
Jim adored being a father and was endlessly proud of his daughters’ professional accomplishments, expertise, and talents. Family and friends will remember him for his wisdom, dance moves, charades prowess, and relentless sense of humor (affectionately known as “pun-ishment”), among many other things.
He was a kind, caring person and a devoted dog owner. In addition to trout fishing, playing golf, and listening to music, Jim enjoyed boating, and he always said that his first job — as a launchman at the local yacht club when he was a teenager — was his favorite.
In addition to his wife, Jim is survived by three daughters: Rabbi Victoria Armour-Hileman of Atlanta; Allison Armour-Garb (Bradley) of Slingerlands, New York; and Julie Armour (Tom Jones) of Summit, N.J.; and grandchildren Isabel, Zev, Charlie, and Carson. He was predeceased by his sister, Jacqueline Armour, and by his parents, Beatrice Peters (née Kalt) and David Armour.
A memorial service is being planned for later in the fall, as well as a private burial in North Hatley next summer.
The family would particularly like to thank Jim’s caregiver Dieula Fleury for her loving encouragement. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim’s honor can be made to Darien EMS-Post 53.