The following was prepared by students, friends and neighbors of Virginia Collins Armstrong, and read on May 3 at her memorial service on what would have been her 95th birthday.
We pass through one another’s lives to make a difference. That is exactly how Virginia Armstrong lived her life. She made a difference in the lives of her family, her friends, her Latigo Cove neighbors, her Carden Malibu School students and even in the lives of the flora and fauna that surrounded her.
If you knew her, you can vividly recall first meeting her. It could have been on the beach in front of her Latigo Cove home. She introduced you to the creatures in the tide pools, on the ocean, in the sky and on the sand. How impressed you were that she not only knew the common names of all these creatures, but also the scientific names, as well.
Always the teacher, then she might have given you a history lesson. It would have included the story of the Roosevelt Highway, the original PCH, that ran in front of her home and is now Latigo Shore Drive. She may have shown you the 1929 branded imprint on the road that noted when it was first paved with concrete. And she may have shared historical memories of “Old Malibu” and her precious Latigo Cove.
Even the flowers were fond of her. She could take a sickly potted plant and revive it with the love and water she showered upon it.
How could you not fall in love with this wild spirit and strongwilled ranch-raised woman who greeted each morning and each person with a happy “hello,” and the joke of the day? How could you not admire this woman who rescued animals in need, be it a bird, a deer, a pig, a seal, a reptile or an insect?
She was a woman with a big heart and unbounded curiosity about the world around her and a deep respect for each individual with whom she came in to contact. By actions and example, she influenced and inspired so many of those around her, even when she was not aware.
We were so pleased to have known her and benefited from her knowledge and positive view of the world. She made a difference in our lives. She made a difference in our Malibu.
Family and friends of Virginia Collins Armstrong