Born in Hudson to William Campbell and Alma Belle Cope Blagg, Beatrice “Bea” Armstrong (1915-1993) grew up in Cooksville. She earned a two-year teaching certificate from Illinois State Normal University and taught in one-room country schools in McLean County.
Bea wed Donald G. Armstrong in 1938 at Cooksville. The couple farmed nearby and raised daughter Beverly. Don died in 1991.
A member of the Union Church in Cooksville and attendee of the Ellsworth Methodist Church, Bea taught Sunday School and was president of the Women’s Society of Christian Service.
She was a member of several hereditary organizations, most notably the Daughters of the American Revolution. She also participated in the McLean County Genealogical Society and McLean County Historical Society.
Bea was a charter member of the Eastern McLean County Ambulance Association. She also was a member of the McLean County Home Extension and a 4-H leader.