Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
To the Editor:
Nancy Armstrong’s passing is one that hits hard in a year already filled with much trauma and tragedy. And perhaps that is exactly why I’m compelled to write. Because in a bleak and dark world, Nancy was the kind of person who added color and incandescent light to any place she inhabited.
And the remarkable thing was that she didn’t even have to remain there for that light to endure — long after she moved on, the light of her presence stayed behind, softly illuminating or shining as a bright beacon on the lives she had touched.
When I was five years old, Nancy was only in her second year of teaching, and was instantly my favorite. She was the Mrs. Frizzle of music class. Taking us on happy adventures through the songs she’d sing and the music she’d play. I can close my eyes and still see her hands bouncing up and down on the piano keys. Two physical metaphors for her personality.
More than forty years later, she retired. And then, characteristically, kept right on going. She continued to substitute teach not only in Glens Falls, but in the surrounding communities as well. Generations of students passed through her classroom, and generations of teachers worked alongside her, all shaped in some way by her patience, her passion, and her belief in the power of music and encouragement. The number of lives she touched over more than half a century is impossible to count, and her impact is incalculable, carried forward in the people she taught, the confidence she inspired.
In our small community, she was everywhere music and joy lived. You’d see her at nearly every performance — hether it was kindergarteners nervously putting on their first play or the local community theater opening a new show.
She was always there, fully present, fiercely clapping, radiating pride and encouragement. In a town where the arts are so prevalent, it feels almost impossible to imagine carrying on without her.
She played piano, directed musically, performed in shows, created a senior citizen sing-along, and showed up again and again to support others. She was a teacher, a musician, a cheerleader, a connector, a constant. When it came to the arts, she played every role.
Every time you saw Nancy, she made you feel as though she had all the time in the world just for you. She was completely present and genuinely interested in how you were doing and how your life was unfolding.
What was even more remarkable was that she remembered the details; birthdays, milestones, struggles, and joys, and she spoke about them with care. She celebrated achievements and reached out quietly, privately, to offer comfort or encouragement when life was hard. And she meant it, and she was authentically this way for anyone she met.
It’s hard to imagine the kind of loving mind it takes to carry so many lives so attentively, but somehow, Nancy did. It was simply who she was; someone with a heart and mind expansive enough to hold all of us simultaneously.
And even now, though she is gone, her light remains. It’s in the music, in the memories, and in the way we show up for one another because she taught us how. Rest in peace, Nancy Armstrong. It was a profound privilege to know you.
— Logan Beth Fisher
Former student and colleague
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