The late Father James Armstrong left Butler County residents with memories of great homilies, a sense of humor and a passion for sports.

Armstrong, 61, of Ross Township died May 3 at his residence.

He retired in 2008 as the pastor of St. Peter Parish in Slippery Rock.

He was also the pastor of St. Anthony Roman Catholic Church in Forestville and the chaplain of the Newman Center on Slippery Rock University’s campus.

Armstrong served at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church for seven years before moving to Slippery Rock.

Everywhere he spoke, Armstrong was known for his homilies.

“Father Armstrong was a very great sermon giver,” said Bob Seibel of Penn Township. “Basically, he’d give a homily and you could live it all week long.”

Seibel first met Armstrong shortly before he was installed at St. Paul.

Seibel has been a member of St. Paul for 30 years.

One of Armstrong’s homilies that stuck with Seibel the most was on being a “Two-out-of-three Christian.”

He remembers Armstrong leaning on the pulpit explaining how Catholics should see the death penalty, euthanasia and abortion as equals.

“If you are in favor of euthanasia and the death penalty, that’s still killing, but abortion is just as much killing,” Seibel said. “... It really makes you think of your values. That really stuck with me.”

Elaine Tonelli of Forestville, worked with Armstrong for 15 years.

“I’ll miss his sense of humor, his honesty, his compassion and his unbelievable homilies, just tremendous homilies,” Tonelli said.

Tonelli said Armstrong admired the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen and was just as great at giving homilies.

At Armstrong’s funeral, Father Ben Vaghetto said, “Now (Armstrong) and Bishop Sheen are up there arguing about who gives the best homilies.”

Tonelli also remembers Armstrong’s love for cooking and how he spent time with the young.

“He would come down and cook spaghetti dinners for them,” Tonelli said. “... He just brought humor and joy with every occasion.”

Dale and Millie Pinkerton of Butler first met Armstrong in the 1990s through Rotary Club of Butler.

“Rotary brings the whole world together,” Dale said. “And he was a great Rotarian.”

The Pinkertons would often invite Armstrong over for dinner.

“The first time I invited him for dinner, I prepared a very nice dinner, steaks and mushrooms,” Millie said. “When he was finished he said, ‘Millie, it was a wonderful dinner, but next time would you make something I don’t know how to make?’ I always had to call him and he ordered the meal.”

One of Armstrong’s others passion was sports, as he was an official for Little League, high school basketball, football and hockey.

“His brother told me growing up his dad would say ‘What do you think of that play?’ and (Armstrong) said, ‘That ref did a lousy job,’ or ‘That ref should have called it differently,’” said Dale. “He watched the referees, not the football players.”

Bill May of Wexford, formerly of Saxonburg, met Armstrong when Armstrong was in 10th grade. May was refereeing a football game, when he heard someone commenting from behind him.

“Someone behind me kept saying ‘Hey ref, throw the flag.’ ‘Hey ref, don’t throw the flag,’” May said. “This went on probably four, five, six times and I never paid attention.”

After the game, May introduced himself to the young Armstrong and they kept in touch ever since.

When Armstrong started refereeing, the two would see each other at games and tournaments.

“When you’re involved with sports, reffing or playing, you make people contact, and I think ministers and priests and so forth, their people connection is pretty critical and I think Jim was that type of person,” May said.

Armstrong’s love for sports went beyond youth refereeing. He was a chaplain for National Hockey League officials and traveled with the late Rev. Phillip Cascia of Hartford, Conn., through the nonprofit organization Intersport USA.

The organization was able to send amateur sports teams to play in other countries, such as Cuba, to teach youths how to play.

From international sports to memorable homilies and master of ceremonies for the Rotary club, humor was always a part of Armstrong’s life.

“He had everyone almost laying on the floor laughing because he had a real sense of humor,” Dale said.

“Dale is a Shriner Clown and their formal week for parades is a coat with multicolored patches. Well Father Jim wore his collar and then wore Dale’s coat to one of the dinners as the master of ceremonies,” Millie said. “That’s just the kind of guy he was. He was just so much fun.”

Though Armstrong’s cats, Ethel, Fred and Mertz, lost their loving owner, the Butler community lost a great friend, supporter and mentor.

“We lost a mentor. He was a mentor for so many people,” Millie said. “There was so many people at the funeral home and service that told stories of things he did for them when they were ill or when their family was ill.”.

Arrangements were handled by the T.B. Devlin Funeral Home in Ross Township.

Memorial contributions can be made to Alcoholics Anonymous, Pittsburgh Area Central Office Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219 or Animal Friends, 562 Camp Horne Road, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15237.