Adele Lizette “Dee” Armstrong, age 92, of Pine Mountain, Georgia, passed away Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, at her residence. Mrs. Armstrong has been described as a free spirit who lived an amazing life filled with artistic talent, strong ambition and a desire for adventure. She was born Oct. 9, 1926, in New York, New York, the daughter of Fredrick Gramer and Kathryn O’Brian Gramer. She was raised in California where she studied ballet from childhood. As a young adult, her talent was recognized, and she was offered a position with the New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine. Instead, she chose to pursue other artistic interests while working as an accountant and raising a daughter of her own.

Having not completed high school herself, Mrs. Armstrong saw to it that her daughter was educated. Afterwards, she began attending school herself, taking night and summer classes, as time permitted, all while working full time. Within six years she had obtained a PhD in psychology and embarked on a long career with the state of California. She worked as a psychologist for various state mental health hospitals as well as also operating her own private practice in Torrance, California. She loved donating time counseling troubled teens and helping children who were victims of abuse. Throughout her life, she enjoyed adventurous things, she and her husband, Tom, navigated numerous voyages on his sail-boat off the coast of California or spent time cruising in his 1952 Jaguar XKE. She enjoyed the advantages of traveling through Europe, especially to her mother’s home country of Ireland, and France, where she was enamored with the Impressionist artwork. She enjoyed yoga, and for a while, practiced Buddhism after it was introduced to her by a friend. She loved arts and crafts, especially ceramics, making children’s cloth books, cross-stitching and needlework. She attended the Art Institute of Los Angeles, where she studied flower arranging, and with her daughter, became a regular exhibitor at local fairs, working their way up to the larger shows, including the Irish Fair in Los Angeles.

While attending a needlework seminar at Callaway Gardens, she fell in love with the Pine Mountain, Georgia area, and in 1993 relocated there. She returned to California but decided Georgia was best and in 2005 she made Pine Mountain her permanent home. From 2007 until 2013, she and her daughter owned and operated “House of Paws,” a pet accessory store in Warm Springs, Georgia, where Mrs. Armstrong participated in “Fala Days” and made many local friends. In recent years, she enjoyed crossword puzzles and reading mysteries. As a psychologist, she found Donald Trump to be quite intriguing, and read anything she could about him and his life. Mrs. Armstrong remained active in her artistic interests until recent months when her health began to fail.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Tom Armstrong and three step-sisters.

Survivors include her daughter, Chris Baillie (Steve) of LaGrange, Georgia; a granddaughter, Katherine Seaborne (Richard) of Mesquite, Nevada; a grandson, Mark Alba of LaGrange; three great-grandchildren, Kenneth Willette (Stacy) of San Diego, California, Jay Alba and Kayleen Alba, both of Chico, California.

A memorial service for Mrs. Armstrong will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, those who desire may make memorial contributions to any of her favorite charities; Amnesty International (amnestyusa.org), Common Cause (commoncause.org), or Heifer Project International (heifer.org).

Online condolences may be offered at Coxfh.com.

Cox Funeral Home, Hamilton, Georgia, is assisting the family with arrangements.