Ward Silver Armstrong

Ward S. Armstrong JD ’66 passed away peacefully September 5, 2015, in Salem, Oregon, surrounded by family and the love of lifelong friends. He was 82 years old.

Born October 13, 1932, in Eugene, Oregon, to Hubert and Elizabeth Armstrong, Ward graduated from Newberg High School in 1950. He attended Willamette University, where he met his partner for life, Donna Marie Leonard, whom he married on December 27, 1959.

Ward earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from Oregon State University. In 1961, he began work as director of the Association of Oregon Counties in Salem. Ward accepted a job as Oregon director of governmental affairs for Weyerhaeuser in 1966, embarking on a career as a lobbyist and public policy specialist that defined the remainder of his working life.

In 1978, Ward, Donna, and their three children moved to Federal Way, Washington, so Ward could manage Weyerhaeuser’s governmental affairs program. The family returned to Salem in 1986 when Ward was named executive director of the Oregon Forest Industries Council. He “retired” in 1994, after which he accepted a position managing the Executive Seminar Program at Portland State University’s Mark O. Hatfield School of Government. He would remain there for 10 years.

A past president of the Salem Tennis & Swim Club, Ward was also an active member of the Methodist Church in Salem and Bellevue and the Salem Downtown Rotary Club. He served on the state Easter Seals Board and was a trustee on the Oregon State University Foundation.

Cycling was a special passion. Ward completed many Seattle-to-Portland bike rides, the Oregon Bicycle Ride, RAGBRAI, and the Idaho Bike Ride.

Ward is survived by his wife and children Ken, Mark, and Diane; grandchildren Grace, Abby, Lucy, and Alice; and his brothers Hugh of Seattle and Richard of Salem.