Gilbert 'Dub' Armstrong,78 , of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passed away on October 23, 2018, after a lengthy and valiant struggle with Parkinson's Disease.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on October 26, at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church, 2717 West Hefner, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, officiated by the Reverend Mark Jardine, Senior Pastor at Chapel Hill UMC. Visitation will be held October 26 from 12:00-8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. October 27 at Billings Funeral Home in Woodward, Oklahoma. Burial will be Saturday, October 27 at 2:00 p.m. at Elmwood Cemetery in Woodward, Oklahoma with Sam Garner, Chaplain of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, officiating. Pallbearers will be the OHP Honor Guard.
Dub was born in Woodward, Oklahoma, to Cecil and Marie (Lake) Armstrong on November 2, 1939. He went to school in Woodward, then attended Eastern New Mexico University in Portales on a football scholarship. He worked for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol from 1965-1987, serving Harrah, Chickasha, El Reno, Midwest City, and Oklahoma City communities. Ironically, Henry Bellmon was governor when Dub began his OHP service in 1965, and Henry Bellmon was once again governor when Dub retired in 1988. In 1968, during a traffic stop onI-40 west of El Reno, Dub was kidnapped and beaten by two men and a woman. The suspects, one of which was a prison parolee, were captured in Caddo County a short time later. Dub was a part of many major events during his tenure with the patrol: the 1973 deadly prison riot in McAlester; the 1977 search for Gene Leroy Hart in Mayes County; the 1979 manhunt for the two men who murdered four people, two of whom were a Putnam City Baptist minister and his wife, who lived in Okarche; the first Commander of Troop R, which provides safety and protection for the State Capitol Complex in Oklahoma City and Tulsa; and was on his way to Bryan County when the search for two escaped inmates ended in three of his OHP friends being killed in what May 26, 1978 has been referred to as the "Darkest Day in OHP History."
Dub was a member of Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. He was a United States Army Reserve veteran, serving from 1959-1965, a 32nd Degree Mason and a member of the American Legion.
Dub was the man everyone considered their "go-to guy". If anyone had a problem, he knew how to fix it, or he knew how to get it fixed. He was the man who could always be counted on, no matter the hour or the issue. Dub loved rebuilding cars, remodeling houses, raising German shepherds, riding motorcycles, and traveling. However, his greatest joys in life were spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Dub was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his devoted wife Paula (Reed) of the home; a daughter Lisette Barnes (Jim) of Oklahoma City; a son USAF Brigadier General Boris Armstrong (Laura) of Columbia, SC; a daughter Desiree Nielsen (Chris) of Vienna, Virginia; brothers Harold Armstrong (Linda) of Oklahoma City and Van Armstrong (Linda) of Weatherford, Oklahoma; grandchildren Alexandra Barnes, Corie Talano (John), Nicole McPhetridge (John), Adler Armstrong, Avery Armstrong, Brianna Nielsen, and Sean Nielsen; great-grandchildren Adam Talano, Vivian Talano, Sydney McPhetridge, and Angeline McPhetridge; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other loved ones.
The family of Dub Armstrong wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Joseph Jamison, Shawna and Michelle of Mercy Home Health Care who became honorary members of our family, Integris Hospice, Billings Funeral Home of Woodward, and the multitude of family and friends who shared their love and care for Dub during his last months in this world.
Memorials may be given to COHPS (Concerned Oklahomans for the Highway Patrol Society) online at www.cohps.org or to the Parkinson Foundation of Oklahoma online at www.parkinsonoklahoma.com.