Founding board member of Lighthouse Foundation dies
For James Armour, helping others was always a priority.
“He always wanted to help people, but it was the manner in which he did it that was so unique. He was so caring, but he was so ethical and so smart,” Amy Borrelli, Armour's daughter, said. “He was honest, hardworking, and he always gave 150% minimum to everything that he did.”
Armour, 82, of Gibsonia, died in his home surrounded by family on Jan. 4. Born in 1939, he was a founding board member and past president of the Lighthouse Foundation, a Butler County-based Christian outreach organization meeting the needs of impoverished individuals and families.
Armour was a longtime physical therapist who also worked in hospital administration at Mercy and St. Margaret hospitals, and served terms as president of the Pennsylvania Physical Therapy Association and treasurer of the American Physical Therapy Association. He was on the Community Advisory Board at St. Barnabas Health System, and was very involved with his church, First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown.
“He did a lot of things and he did a lot of things well, and he dedicated himself to those things,” Borrelli said. “If he gave his word that he was going to do something, then he did it.”
Armour's work with the Lighthouse Foundation since its creation in 1985 was multifaceted. He collaborated with the late Vernon Borchert, former executive director of the Lighthouse Foundation, to put together many of the Lighthouse's projects.
“Jim was a longtime volunteer, board member and officer at the Lighthouse and was instrumental in helping to form the organization and carry out its programs,” said Mike Borasky, who served on the board of Lighthouse with Armour from the beginning. “The board, including Jim and others, helped Vern to develop all of the many programs that the Lighthouse operates, including the local food bank and the transitional housing program.”
Borasky also worked with Armour through First Presbyterian Church of Bakerstown, where Armour served as deacon and elder.
“Jim was a good friend, and he is very missed,” Borasky said. “He was a physical therapist by profession, but he clearly had a mission and a service heart. He looked for opportunities to help others in the communities, especially in the Bakerstown and Southern Butler County area.”
The Lighthouse's transitional housing program, Borasky said, was one portion of Armour's work that was particularly special.
“That was probably one of the premier programs, but it was kind of unique at the time, and really filled the need in the community,” he said. “It took a lot of oversight by the board to make sure that it was set up correctly.”
Armour's impact on Lighthouse was huge, said Dan Hartzler, business manager at the Lighthouse. The foundation even named one of its facilities, Armour Apartments, in his honor.
“For the last several years, we've been able to house homeless families in the Armour Apartments, all because of his legacy and his service,” Hartzler said. “He was a faithful and reliable board member and contributed in many ways. If I had to summarize his attitude, it would be (that he was) humble — he was a quiet, humble, dedicated, honest guy.”
Hartzler said Armour served on the board for more than 20 years.
“He was a wonderful guy and a great example, and one of those kind of board members you always remember years and years after he cycles off the board,” he said. “We were greatly blessed and greatly enriched by his participation on the board for all those years.”
Borrelli said that friends and family were very important to Armour, who often took the family on vacations with family friends. He was married to his wife, Susanne D. Ault Armour, for 57 years.
“He was just a very faithful person, very smart, and was really good with people and relationships, whether that was in a working environment or in his everyday life,” Borrelli said. “He and my mother did everything together. He was a wonderful family man, wonderful husband and wonderful father.”
