Melvin Blair Armstrong

Melvin Blair Armstrong, beloved husband and father, died peacefully at home surrounded by his loved ones on Wednesday, December 1, 2021 in Lehi, Utah at the age of 86. His life was defined by virtue, dedication, and service to his family and faith.

Blair was born December 30, 1934, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Melvin Stanford Armstrong and Golda Reading. He was truly “born of goodly parents” and loved them tremendously.
They taught him to love the Lord, work hard, prioritize family time, and serve others all while having lots of fun. He was raised with five fantastic siblings and together they are lovingly referred to by their posterity as “The Big 6.” As a child, he gained love for the principle of obedience and the law of the harvest which served him well throughout his life. He was a true patriot and an avid BYU sports fan, waking his children many mornings by vigorously singing the cougar fight song! He had a beautiful, rich bass voice and loved to sing at home and on stage. He enjoyed gardening, coaching his kids in athletics, fishing, and being with his family in the great outdoors.

Blair graduated from Bonneville High School in Idaho Falls in 1953. After graduating, he hitch hiked to BYU with a $50 basketball scholarship. In 1955, he left to serve in the Northern States Mission, serving in Illinois & Wisconsin. After his mission he returned to BYU where he served as Sophomore Vice President & Jr. Class President while being involved in music & drama. He majored in Chemical Engineering and transferred to UC Berkeley. After graduation he worked for Proctor & Gamble, Borden Chemical Co, Leslie Salt Co, AMAX Magnesium & Hill Air Force Base. He obtained his Professional Engineering license in Environmental Engineering 36 years after receiving his bachelor’s degree and started his own company, Enviro-Risk Consulting in 1989.

One of Blair’s favorite hymns, “True to the Faith”, illustrates his life perfectly. He was a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ and a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He cherished the faith of his parents and the legacy left by his ancestors. While serving his mission he heard a talk by a recent convert, Sister Sergel in which she quoted the following from the German philosopher Goethe. “What from your Father’s heritage is lent, earn it anew to really possess it.” It impressed him deeply and he pondered this saying throughout his life, adopting it as a personal motto and making it the title of his personal history. He lived up to this ideal spending countless hours on family history and temple work. He later served for several years as a senior missionary at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City. His posterity treasures the priceless gift of witnessing him live his testimony of the Savior every day of his life.

Blair’s exemplary life will forever be honored by his wife, Sparky Armstrong, whom he loved and adored with his whole heart, and his cherished children: Trent (Sidney) Armstrong, Jill (Pete) Rodeback, Nicole Reese (Michael), Danielle (Shane) Lee, Ben (Michelle) Armstrong, Elizabeth (Gary) Little, Mandy (Cory) Sorensen, 31 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.

FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BEGIN AT 11:30 a.m. due to the weather

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 10, 2021 at the Ivory Ridge LDS Church building, 127 East 3200 North, Lehi, Utah, where friends may visit and memory share on Thursday evening from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. and again Friday morning from 9:45-10:45 a.m. prior to services. Following the service on Friday, Blair will be laid to rest at the Lehi City Cemetery.

Services will be streamed live at Russon Brothers Mortuary Facebook page and this obituary page.