William Ray Armstrong

William Ray Armstrong passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on Monday, July 4th, 2022. He is preceded in death by his parents, George and Bernice “Ann” Armstrong, and his elder brother Daniel Armstrong. He is survived by his daughter Kelcey Armstrong-Walenczak and son-in-law Jakub Walenczak; fiancée Cindy Wiggins and their beloved dogs; and former spouse Barbara Perdisatt.

Born on the 25th of November 1954 in Charleston, South Carolina, Bill spent his early years traveling the globe with his family as they rotated through naval stations. He often recalled his years in Hawai’i and Washington state with particular fondness. After graduating high school, he nevertheless remained on the east coast to attend Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, where he was able to be close to his parents in New Smyrna, spend his free time surfing, and forge lifelong friendships with classmates and fraternity brothers. He later attended Wake Forest College of Law in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and began doing civil trial work in Volusia County, FL in 1980.

Throughout over 40 years as an attorney and mediator, he specialized in civil trial work in areas such as personal injury, medical malpractice, and insurance litigation. Highly esteemed by his colleagues for his humor, professionalism, and strong sense of justice, Bill served as President of the Volusia County Civil Trial Attorneys Association. In 1994, he became a Certified Mediator in the Circuit Court of Volusia County, and in 2005 divested himself of the remainder of his civil litigation practice to become a full time civil mediator, helping people resolve their conflicts as fairly and peaceably as possible.

Anyone lucky enough to spend time with Bill surely learned about some of his many interests. From Beatles trivia to woodworking, gardening to watersports, guitar playing to guitar building, Bill threw himself into his passions and didn’t hesitate to share them with the world. He spent his life learning and building, and enjoyed time spent working on the cabins he raised in the Bahamas and the Blueridge Mountains of North Carolina. He loved his family, including the four-legged members that made it complete over the years, and was dearly looking forward to becoming a grandfather. He will be deeply missed.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at 10:00am on Saturday July 30th at the Daytona Beach Shores Community Center (3000 Bellemead Dr, Daytona Beach Shores, FL 32118). In lieu of flowers, please consider making a small donation in Bill’s memory to the Humane Society of the United States. Memories and condolences may be shared below.