Donald Bruce Armstrong

Armstrong Donald Bruce. Born June 30, 1937 in Minneapolis, MN, Don passed away suddenly of heart failure on October 17, 2002 in Fremont, CA. A loving family man, Don leaves behind his wife of 38 years, Helen Elizabeth (Betsy) Nason Armstrong of Belmont, CA; his daughter, Sara Jennings Armstrong of Pacifica, CA, and his son, Cort Hathaway Armstrong of Ashville, NC. In addition, he leaves behind his mother, Ruth Scofield Armstrong of Escondido, CA; his sister, Julie Armstrong McCue of Maliu Ridge, HI, and his brother, Gary Ward Armstrong of Bellingham, WA. Don grew up in Minneapolis, attending Southwest High School before earning his Ph.D., MSEE, and BS (with distinction) from the University of Minnesota. After graduating, he married and moved to California, where he would begin his highly distinguished career in the heart of ``Silicon Valley.'' Don entered into this ``Technical Utopia'' as one of a very small handful of people in the world considered experts in the new field of ``Surface Acoustic Wave'' technology. More than just a visionary and technical genius, Don's passion for his career knew no bounds. It was in fact his own personal ``spiritual path,'' which would begin at Litton Industries in San Carlos, CA in 1964, and continue through the rest of his life, including working at Crystal Technology, Inc. for many years, co-founding and directing technology at X-Cyte Inc., and concluding as Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at Elo Touch Systems. He was respected and loved at every workplace, because of his knowledge, commitment, leadership, and sense of humor. A long-time resident of Belmont, Don was on the Belmont City's Board of Design and Planning Commission from 1971 to 1976. He had a great love of his family, fully supporting his children's diverse interests in music, art, computer science and business. He was an exceptional athlete, leading his high school cross country team to the Minnesota State Championship, competing in ice hockey as a goalie, sailing on the west coast, and competitively rowing in his single ``sculling'' shell. He loved to travel, spending a good part of his later life traveling to Asia, learning to speak Japanese, learning about eastern culture, and collecting Asian art. An accomplished baritone singer, Don had a deep appreciation for music. A memorial service will be held at the San Mateo Congregational Church on Wednesday, October 30 at 6:00 PM (225 Tilton Avenue in San Mateo, CA). In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations to one of the following organizations: Habitat for Humanity, 1010 Doyle, Menlo Park, CA 94025; or the American Conservatory Theater, 30 Grant Ave., San Francisco, CA 94108.

Published on October 24, 2002