William Armstrong

It is with heavy hearts and immense sadness that we announce the passing of William “Bill” Armstrong of Camarillo. Bill was a beloved husband, father, brother, and grandfather. On March 22nd, 2025, Bill passed away peacefully at home.

Bill was born in Gardena, California on February 11th, 1933. He was raised by his parents, Dewitt “D” and Millie Armstrong with his younger brother Don. Bill graduated from Gardena High School in 1951 and shortly afterwards enlisted in the Air Force where he was deployed to South Korea and served with distinction near the Demilitarized Zone.

After returning to Gardena and getting settled in his civilian life, he met and fell in love with fellow Gardena High School graduate, Sharon Hannon. They married in 1962. Together they were blessed with two children, Jeff in 1964 followed by Stacy in 1967. In 1964, Bill and Sharon moved to a newly built home in Camarillo, and they never left.

In 1963, Bill joined Tile Layers Local Union 18 and worked on countless projects in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. In 1975, he became an Apprenticeship Coordinator with Local 18 and mentored hundreds of new tile setters in the area. Following his time with the apprenticeship program, Bill became a union representative and eventually President of the Local. He retired from the union in 2003 after 40 years of service.

During his time in the construction industry, Bill was driven by his strong work ethic and moral compass to ensure that workers were treated fairly and with the respect that they deserved. He spent his entire adult life being a proud union man. And, at the time of his passing, he had been a union member for 63 years.

Bill enjoyed his family life, and through the years coached little league for Jeff and was a huge supporter of Stacy’s involvement in gymnastics. Since he was so good with tools, he built Stacy a regulation balance beam for the backyard so she could practice her routines at home. His lifelong devotion to the Los Angeles Dodgers, which was as strong as anyone’s, was only eclipsed by his devotion to his family and friends.

Bill made friends easily with his welcoming personality and demeanor. He always had a silly sense of humor and told “dad jokes” decades before they were even a thing. He would feel just as comfortable with his friends and fellow veterans at American Legion Post 741 as he would meeting new people in new places as he traveled with his family. When he was at home, he turned his attention to gardening. He loved planting everything from flowers and fruit trees to swiss chard to an overabundance of tomatoes that he shared with friends and neighbors.

While he was heartbroken and devastated by the passing of the love of his life of 54 years with Sharon’s passing in 2017, he continued being an amazing father and grandfather to the end. He will be missed by all who were lucky enough to have him in their lives.

Bill is survived by his son Jeff Armstrong and his wife, Debbie, his daughter Stacy Schloetel and her husband Carl and his two grandsons, Billy and Brandon Schloetel.