ALTAMONT — Dorothy H. Armstrong, an artist, teacher, and devoted wife and mother, died on Wednesday, May 4, 2016. She was 92.

Mrs. Armstrong was a “powerful woman whose strength derived from her faith, family, and ability to see and bring out the good in people she encountered,” her family wrote in a tribute.

Mrs. Armstrong was born to Frank and Beulah Hawes on Feb. 14, 1924 in Oswego (Oswego Co.), and raised in Walton (Delaware Co.). She married Harry S. Armstrong on July 9, 1949. Their union lasted until his death in 1991.

Mrs. Armstrong attended State Teachers’ College at Buffalo.

“She was an artist,” said her daughter, Megan Connolly. Mrs. Armstrong taught in Schoharie schools, and briefly substituted for teachers at Altamont Elementary, her daughter said.

Mrs. Armstrong felt that she was an artist, but not a good teacher of a large class, Mrs. Connolly said, but she did enjoy sharing and teaching.

“She dabbled in everything, mostly acrylics, especially as she grew older,” Mrs. Connolly said. Her other art was done in pencil, pen, and watercolors, she said.

“She has a lot of landscapes and ocean pictures, enough that each grandchild can have one, and some left over,” Mrs. Connolly said of Mrs. Armstrong.

She “loved the ocean, clouds, and nature, and enjoyed photographing and painting nature in just the right light, capturing the inspiring essence that instilled a sense of calmness and beauty that would envelope the viewer,” her family wrote in a tribute. She had “the view of an artist that sees much more than the normal eye; [she used] vast overlays of many shades of color [and translated ] that into a feeling in her art.”

Similarly, the family wrote, she saw in people what was not always obvious to others.

The family used to travel to Ogunquit, Maine in their early days; several Altamont families had camps in Ogunquit, Mrs. Connolly said.

“We had a camp there for 20 years before it was popular,” Mrs. Connolly said. The family later camped at Fortune’s Rock; Mrs. Armstrong was there just last year. She recently visited family in Colorado, Mrs. Connolly said.

“She was in great health until April,” her daughter said.

Mrs. Armstrong enjoyed baking, and her daughter remembers her grape pie.

“She was known for that because it was unique,” Mrs. Connolly said. “She had a great pie crust.”

In a tribute, her family called her “a devoted mother and wife. First and foremost, she wanted to be a mother. She loved cooking and baking, and experimenting with foods, tastes, and colors.”

Mrs. Armstrong took “tons of pictures of her grandkids” and her great-grandkids, Mrs. Connoly said. “She collected them, and she took them. She was so thrilled with each one that came along. She did get to meet every single one of them.” Another great-grandchild is due in June.

“She loved everyone. She was the true epitome of ‘love one another.’ She never said an unkind thing about anybody,” Mrs. Connolly said of her mother. “She could always find the bright side of everything.”

Mrs. Armstrong was frequently found at the Altamont library, or in the park visiting with people, her daughter said.

“She loved to meet new people and hear their stories,” her daughter said. “She always had a kind word for everybody. She would make eye contact and strike up a conversation.”

Mrs. Armstrong’s family is learning more about her while they go through her books and papers, Mrs. Connolly said.

She wrote notes in her books, her daughter said. On her calendar for December, she wrote, “Don’t try to make Christmas cookies, you old goat!”

Her daughter said Mrs. Armstrong was probably disappointed in last year’s batch.

“She had a good sense of humor,” her daughter said.

Mrs. Armstrong donated her body to Albany Medical Center.

“She knew she would be done with it, and she wanted people to learn from it,” Mrs. Connolly said.

Mrs. Armstrong was active in St. John’s Lutheran Church in Altamont. Her family described her in a tribute as having a quiet beauty, a smile for everyone, amazing strength and faith, and as being graceful and dignified.

“We will miss her smile, and her soul will inspire and guide her family that she so beautifully raised, taught, and believed in,” her family wrote.

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Dorothy H. Armstrong is survived by her children, David Armstrong, and his wife, Kathy, of Colorado; Herb Armstrong and his wife, Karen, of Gansvoort; Allison Houghtaling and her husband, Jim, of Baldwinsville (Onondaga Co.); and Megan Connolly and her husband, Kevin, of Altamont; her grandchildren Chad, Brian, Todd, Ross, John, Matt, Samantha,, Greg, Jason, Carson, Cloe, Zach, and Ethan; and her great-granchildren Maxton, Hadley, Harrison, Lucy, Uriah, Jack, Amy, Grace, Henry, Olivia, Reaux, Levi, and one due in June.

Her husband, Harry S. Armstrong, died before her, as did her parents, Frank and Beulah Hawes; her brother, Fran, and her two sisters, Vera Brady and Flossie Hawes.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 21, at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Altamont. A reception will be held immediately afterward in the fellowship hall.

— Jo E. Prout