Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA), 4 July 2007
CLAREMONT—Kathleen Armour, a Pomona native and Claremont resident for more than 60 years, has died. She was 101.
Armour, widow of famed humorist Richard Armour, died of natural causes June 27 at the Mt. San Antonio Gardens retirement community, said her son, Geoff Armour of Carlsbad .
Friends and family attribute Armour's longevity to a lifelong affinity for health food and physical activities such as swimming and yoga.
"She was very good about being moderate in everything - in eating, in drinking, in partying," said Mayme Lou Bruce, her sister. "She was just balanced, and that's why she lived so long."
Kathleen Armour was born in La Center, Ky., Dec. 28, 1905. Her father had health problems, and seeking a drier climate the family moved to Pomona when Armour was "preschool age," Geoff Armour said.
Richard Armour, her future husband, was in her kindergarten class in Pomona.
They shared classrooms throughout their school days and were even part of the same graduating class at Pomona College. But they were hardly even acquainted, according to friends and family.
"During all of that time, they never dated and never paid attention to each other," Geoff Armour said.
Years after they had both graduated, they had a chance meeting when Richard Armour returned to visit his family in Pomona from Arkansas, where he was working as a teacher.
"They happened to be strolling along Second Street in Pomona, and they recognized each other. They had hardly ever spoken," Bruce said. "He learned that she was living there, and he was visiting his family. That's how it all started - it was amazing."
The couple married soon after, in 1932. In 1946, they moved to Claremont, where Richard Armour worked as an English professor at Scripps College.
In Claremont, the Armours were very sociable and often hosted events at their home where among their guests were some of the era's literary luminaries, recalled Jane Sanders, who befriended Kathleen Armour shortly after the Armours' arrival.
"Kathleen was a very vivacious, caring, affectionate person," Sanders said. "She loved to entertain."
The first time Sanders and her husband were dinner guests at the Armour home, also in attendance was Upton Sinclair, author of "The Jungle," the 1907 expose of the meat-packing industry.
"Kathleen had prepared a nice meal, and all Sinclair wanted was bread and milk," Sanders said.
Richard Armour retired from Scripps in 1963 and devoted himself full time to his work as a humor author and poet, work that gained him substantial notoriety.
He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," published 64 books and had his poetry published in leading magazines of the day such as the New Yorker and the Saturday Evening Post.
Richard Armour's work gave the couple the opportunity to travel frequently. The family lived at times in Paris, Japan and Hawaii, among other places, Geoff Armour said.
In 1982, the couple moved to Mt. San Antonio Gardens, where Kathleen Armour lived until her death. Richard Armour died in 1989.
Survivors include a daughter, Karin Grutchfield of Carmichael; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be private.
CLAREMONT—Kathleen Armour, a Pomona native and Claremont resident for more than 60 years, has died. She was 101.
Armour, widow of famed humorist Richard Armour, died of natural causes June 27 at the Mt. San Antonio Gardens retirement community, said her son, Geoff Armour of Carlsbad .
Friends and family attribute Armour's longevity to a lifelong affinity for health food and physical activities such as swimming and yoga.
"She was very good about being moderate in everything - in eating, in drinking, in partying," said Mayme Lou Bruce, her sister. "She was just balanced, and that's why she lived so long."
Kathleen Armour was born in La Center, Ky., Dec. 28, 1905. Her father had health problems, and seeking a drier climate the family moved to Pomona when Armour was "preschool age," Geoff Armour said.
Richard Armour, her future husband, was in her kindergarten class in Pomona.
They shared classrooms throughout their school days and were even part of the same graduating class at Pomona College. But they were hardly even acquainted, according to friends and family.
"During all of that time, they never dated and never paid attention to each other," Geoff Armour said.
Years after they had both graduated, they had a chance meeting when Richard Armour returned to visit his family in Pomona from Arkansas, where he was working as a teacher.
"They happened to be strolling along Second Street in Pomona, and they recognized each other. They had hardly ever spoken," Bruce said. "He learned that she was living there, and he was visiting his family. That's how it all started - it was amazing."
The couple married soon after, in 1932. In 1946, they moved to Claremont, where Richard Armour worked as an English professor at Scripps College.
In Claremont, the Armours were very sociable and often hosted events at their home where among their guests were some of the era's literary luminaries, recalled Jane Sanders, who befriended Kathleen Armour shortly after the Armours' arrival.
"Kathleen was a very vivacious, caring, affectionate person," Sanders said. "She loved to entertain."
The first time Sanders and her husband were dinner guests at the Armour home, also in attendance was Upton Sinclair, author of "The Jungle," the 1907 expose of the meat-packing industry.
"Kathleen had prepared a nice meal, and all Sinclair wanted was bread and milk," Sanders said.
Richard Armour retired from Scripps in 1963 and devoted himself full time to his work as a humor author and poet, work that gained him substantial notoriety.
He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," published 64 books and had his poetry published in leading magazines of the day such as the New Yorker and the Saturday Evening Post.
Richard Armour's work gave the couple the opportunity to travel frequently. The family lived at times in Paris, Japan and Hawaii, among other places, Geoff Armour said.
In 1982, the couple moved to Mt. San Antonio Gardens, where Kathleen Armour lived until her death. Richard Armour died in 1989.
Survivors include a daughter, Karin Grutchfield of Carmichael; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be private.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA), 4 July 2007
CLAREMONT—Kathleen Armour, a Pomona native and Claremont resident for more than 60 years, has died. She was 101.
Armour, widow of famed humorist Richard Armour, died of natural causes June 27 at the Mt. San Antonio Gardens retirement community, said her son, Geoff Armour of Carlsbad .
Friends and family attribute Armour's longevity to a lifelong affinity for health food and physical activities such as swimming and yoga.
"She was very good about being moderate in everything - in eating, in drinking, in partying," said Mayme Lou Bruce, her sister. "She was just balanced, and that's why she lived so long."
Kathleen Armour was born in La Center, Ky., Dec. 28, 1905. Her father had health problems, and seeking a drier climate the family moved to Pomona when Armour was "preschool age," Geoff Armour said.
Richard Armour, her future husband, was in her kindergarten class in Pomona.
They shared classrooms throughout their school days and were even part of the same graduating class at Pomona College. But they were hardly even acquainted, according to friends and family.
"During all of that time, they never dated and never paid attention to each other," Geoff Armour said.
Years after they had both graduated, they had a chance meeting when Richard Armour returned to visit his family in Pomona from Arkansas, where he was working as a teacher.
"They happened to be strolling along Second Street in Pomona, and they recognized each other. They had hardly ever spoken," Bruce said. "He learned that she was living there, and he was visiting his family. That's how it all started - it was amazing."
The couple married soon after, in 1932. In 1946, they moved to Claremont, where Richard Armour worked as an English professor at Scripps College.
In Claremont, the Armours were very sociable and often hosted events at their home where among their guests were some of the era's literary luminaries, recalled Jane Sanders, who befriended Kathleen Armour shortly after the Armours' arrival.
"Kathleen was a very vivacious, caring, affectionate person," Sanders said. "She loved to entertain."
The first time Sanders and her husband were dinner guests at the Armour home, also in attendance was Upton Sinclair, author of "The Jungle," the 1907 expose of the meat-packing industry.
"Kathleen had prepared a nice meal, and all Sinclair wanted was bread and milk," Sanders said.
Richard Armour retired from Scripps in 1963 and devoted himself full time to his work as a humor author and poet, work that gained him substantial notoriety.
He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," published 64 books and had his poetry published in leading magazines of the day such as the New Yorker and the Saturday Evening Post.
Richard Armour's work gave the couple the opportunity to travel frequently. The family lived at times in Paris, Japan and Hawaii, among other places, Geoff Armour said.
In 1982, the couple moved to Mt. San Antonio Gardens, where Kathleen Armour lived until her death. Richard Armour died in 1989.
Survivors include a daughter, Karin Grutchfield of Carmichael; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be private.
CLAREMONT—Kathleen Armour, a Pomona native and Claremont resident for more than 60 years, has died. She was 101.
Armour, widow of famed humorist Richard Armour, died of natural causes June 27 at the Mt. San Antonio Gardens retirement community, said her son, Geoff Armour of Carlsbad .
Friends and family attribute Armour's longevity to a lifelong affinity for health food and physical activities such as swimming and yoga.
"She was very good about being moderate in everything - in eating, in drinking, in partying," said Mayme Lou Bruce, her sister. "She was just balanced, and that's why she lived so long."
Kathleen Armour was born in La Center, Ky., Dec. 28, 1905. Her father had health problems, and seeking a drier climate the family moved to Pomona when Armour was "preschool age," Geoff Armour said.
Richard Armour, her future husband, was in her kindergarten class in Pomona.
They shared classrooms throughout their school days and were even part of the same graduating class at Pomona College. But they were hardly even acquainted, according to friends and family.
"During all of that time, they never dated and never paid attention to each other," Geoff Armour said.
Years after they had both graduated, they had a chance meeting when Richard Armour returned to visit his family in Pomona from Arkansas, where he was working as a teacher.
"They happened to be strolling along Second Street in Pomona, and they recognized each other. They had hardly ever spoken," Bruce said. "He learned that she was living there, and he was visiting his family. That's how it all started - it was amazing."
The couple married soon after, in 1932. In 1946, they moved to Claremont, where Richard Armour worked as an English professor at Scripps College.
In Claremont, the Armours were very sociable and often hosted events at their home where among their guests were some of the era's literary luminaries, recalled Jane Sanders, who befriended Kathleen Armour shortly after the Armours' arrival.
"Kathleen was a very vivacious, caring, affectionate person," Sanders said. "She loved to entertain."
The first time Sanders and her husband were dinner guests at the Armour home, also in attendance was Upton Sinclair, author of "The Jungle," the 1907 expose of the meat-packing industry.
"Kathleen had prepared a nice meal, and all Sinclair wanted was bread and milk," Sanders said.
Richard Armour retired from Scripps in 1963 and devoted himself full time to his work as a humor author and poet, work that gained him substantial notoriety.
He was a frequent guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," published 64 books and had his poetry published in leading magazines of the day such as the New Yorker and the Saturday Evening Post.
Richard Armour's work gave the couple the opportunity to travel frequently. The family lived at times in Paris, Japan and Hawaii, among other places, Geoff Armour said.
In 1982, the couple moved to Mt. San Antonio Gardens, where Kathleen Armour lived until her death. Richard Armour died in 1989.
Survivors include a daughter, Karin Grutchfield of Carmichael; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Services will be private.
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