William John Armstrong III, “Bill” / “Billy”, was born to the late Eleanor Corbin Armstrong and William John Armstrong, Jr., January 9, 1946 in Takoma Park, Maryland. The little family lived in a tiny apartment in Northeast DC, right across the hall from Bill’s cousins on his mother’s side. Bill would later enjoy exciting his children on visits to DC by making a special stop to point out the building his family lived in during his infancy.

The family moved to Silver Spring, Maryland and later welcomed into the world Bill’s brother David and then his late baby sister, Mary. The family’s idyllic 1950s American suburban life was occasionally shaken up by Bill’s propensity for mischief. Despite being a willing participant in Bill’s schemes, David was often spared the wrath of their mother; perhaps it was in Bill’s youth that she began to mutter “Jackass”. That mutter would turn to a full declaration decades later, Eleanor unable to withhold her feelings even at family birthday parties and holidays.

If there is any truth to the notion that absence makes the heart grow fonder, then Bill was well-loved by his teachers and everyone at Northwood High School. A phone call from Bill’s dad to the president of Pikeville College landed Bill in Kentucky for his freshman year of college. Bill received a first-class education in what exactly a holler is, what moonshine tastes like, and just how much he enjoyed his freedom. Bill was so productive at Pikeville that he was finished in his very first year.

Despite his parents not recognizing him when they came to collect him from Pikeville - rebellious long hair was all the rage - Bill made it back to Silver Spring. While bouncing around different jobs - Canada Dry, the cafeteria at NIH, Bill got his draft notice for Vietnam. His Uncle Alvin came to the rescue, helping him get into the army reserves. Assigned to the landing craft unit, armed with a 6 pack, Bill patrolled the Potomac for commies.

Back from military duty at Fort Bragg, Bill got a job at the brand new Sears in White Oak, and also enrolled at Montgomery College and University College. He later transferred to the University of Maryland and earned a bachelor’s in History. William John Armstrong IV would later also earn a degree from Maryland in the humanities, and also had little idea what he would actually do.

“In those days, it was all about peace, love, rock n’ roll.” Bill simply wanted to do good and help his fellow man by becoming a social worker. A wonderful, beautiful way to use his talent and skill. But it turned out that wanting to help others required a masters degree, and working for the Post Office paid better anyway. So Bill found himself carrying letters. A connection through the family church, Wallace Memorial Presbyterian, led him to the new International School of Law, based in DC.

Bill worked at the post office during the day, went home for a brief nap and some studying, then headed to law school at night - praying he wouldn’t be called on to comment on the case he was supposed to have read about. Work, study, class. Work, study class was Bill’s life. Grit and determination pushed him through. Along with his one respite - Saturday nights at Dominicks for a few beverages.

Bill graduated from law school cum laude, passed the bar in Maryland, DC, and Virginia, and was ready to go. In 1978 he put a sign out front of his grandparents' old house on Briggs Cheney Road, and waited - it was much later that Bill mastered the marketing side of the business - pens, lighters, sponsoring his kids’ and grandkids’ baseball teams, and more pens. The clients were slow to roll in, and Bill’s garden was no simple hobby - it was how he fed himself in those early days. His farmer-lawyer hybrid lifestyle really got going when he and a neighbor decided to fence-in their properties and share responsibility for cows, chickens, and goats. As Bill put it: “We had a good time. A little farming, a little lawyering.”

A hippie with a desire to help his fellow man, lawyer doesn’t quite fit the picture. But Bill made this seemingly paradoxical combination work. He wanted to help, but wanted to get paid too. Bill was always up for unconventional payments - work done on the house, access to a beach house, that kind of thing. In one case, Bill was happy to exchange some legal advice for simply not being shot - when a neighbor being pursued by the police came into his office with a rifle, needing a place to hangout. The practice got going: paperwork, phone calls, and hearings slowly replaced collecting eggs, feeding cattle, and keeping wayward goats in. Bill didn’t know it at the time, but in a few years he would be able to resume his farmer-lawyer life. But first he would become a family man.

“Then the love of my life from very early on finally decided that she wanted to be with me, and accepted my proposal.” Bill and Jeannie married in April, 1985. Bill and his bride came together, along with Erica, ML, and Bonnie, to create their family. They put their blood, sweat, and tears into making their little house on Good Hope Road into the beloved home that the family remembers so fondly. When Willie was born in 1987, the house was feeling a bit crowded. When Reece came along in 1988, the family had officially out-grown the little bungalow. Bill took a visit to Howard County, then still mostly corn fields, and knew he had found his family’s new home.

As Mom reminded him every time some work needed to be done on the house, Bill put in an offer with no inspection. Not entirely sure that he could actually afford it, Bill nearly had a heart attack at closing. But the pattern of things somehow working out for Bill continued, and the family made Dayton, Maryland home. A barn was added, a fence, a tractor: the whole package. Lawyer by day, farmer by evening, father of 5 children and adoring husband always, Bill surely felt like he had finally truly made it. Perhaps that feeling of making it was solidified when Dad got his custom plates for his Tahoe: UTHEMAN.

Despite his law practice booming, Bill was committed to flying solo, his love of independence outweighing any potential benefits to his career that might have come with a partnership. Rather, he simply kept hiring more secretaries to keep up with the work, including his sister, Mary.

Clients to see, cases to argue, grass to mow, cows to feed, corvettes to keep running, Bill somehow juggled it all while still being a present, involved, and wonderful father and husband. He might have been pushing it with the purchase of the ‘55 Chevy hot rod, claiming Jeannie could get into ladies drag racing, but it was a very cool car, so who’s to say?

As the family expanded, Bill became a grandfather; a different moniker for each set: Dude, Popeye, and Three. As with his own children, Bill was supportive and present. He sponsored their sports teams, attended games, dance recitals, graduations: you name it, Bill was there, wearing the gear of each grandchild’s team or school.

Bill and Jeannie were dedicated members of Grace Community Church. They regularly attended services in Columbia, at the new location in Fulton, and online during the pandemic. Bill reconnected with old friends and enjoyed making new connections, particularly with his small group of many years.

Bill loved his work, both at the office and in the garden, and continued with both right up to, and through, his diagnosis. Bill’s health had been in decline for some time, but he kept pressing on - not out of fear or anxiety, but because he wanted to enjoy being with those who he loved. Like so many times in his life, Bill pushed through and he managed to spend quality time with friends and family despite the draining impact that the chemo had on his body. Jeannie was his champion through it all, keeping Bill and the household going. Bill passed away at home early on the morning of Thursday, May 16, 2024. He was in the place that he loved, and with the people he loved when he peacefully went to be with his Heavenly Father.

Bill surely approached the pearly gates with confidence, one simple question for St. Peter: “Don’t you know who I am?”

Bill is survived by his beautiful bride, Jeannie; daughters Erica Barcikowski (Ray); Bonnie Eveler, Reece Armstrong; sons ML Eveler (Sarah) and Willie Armstrong (Khanh), as well as seven grandchildren: Chad, Molly, and Megan Barcikowski; Clark and Morgan Eveler; Vi and Skye Armstrong.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cancer Center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. For information on making a memorial donation, please contact Reece Armstrong at reececorbin@gmail.com

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