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Photos courtesy of Judy Armstrong.
Bob Armstrong, a beloved businessman in the Cahaba Heights community, stands with his wife, Judy, in front of Armstrong Auto Repair Service.
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Photos courtesy of Judy Armstrong.
Armstrong stands by one of the self-serve gas pumps at Armstrong Auto Repair Service.
Bob Armstrong may not have been the greatest businessman, his daughter said.
“He would fix people’s cars and say, ‘Pay me when you can,’” Julie Tapscott said with a laugh.
It was part of Armstrong’s generous nature, Tapscott said. It endeared him not only to his family, but to the Cahaba Heights community he served through his gas station and repair shop at what is now Martin’s BBQ.
Armstrong, who ran his businesses from 1987 to 2017, died Feb. 24 at the age of 77.
“He was a very loving person,” said Armstrong’s wife, Judy Armstrong.
In addition to his work at the auto shop and gas station, Armstrong was a deacon and trustee at Cahaba Heights Baptist Church.
John Michael Bodnar knew Armstrong when Bodnar was a teenager growing up in Cahaba Heights.
“Literally everyone in Cahaba Heights knew Bob,” Bodnar said.
As a teen, Bodnar thought Armstrong was “ominous and intimidating.” That perception remained as an adult “until you got to know him,” Bodnar said.
He was “quiet, calm [and] level headed,” Bodnar said. While he didn’t say much, he never had to, Bodnar said.
“His actions always spoke much louder than his words,” Bodnar said.
As the owner of Armstrong Automotive Repair and Armstrong BP Gas Station, Armstrong serviced thousands of people, Bodnar said. He made great contributions to the community, he said. If communities can suffer “death by a thousand papercuts,” Armstrong brought “healing by a thousand Band-Aids,” Bodnar said.
“I think we’re blessed to have guys like Bob,” Bodnar said.
Armstrong was a source of inspiration to the community, Bodnar said.
“From my years of growing up and living in that area … Bob was like an old oak tree. He was rooted,” Bodnar said. “Everyone looked up to him.
Bodnar worked with Armstrong to redevelop the service station when he retired, and was joined in that work by Chris Reebals, who also knew Armstrong well.
When he was preparing to retire, Armstrong reached out to Reebals for help in redeveloping the shop into what is now Martin’s BBQ. It allowed Reebals to get to know Armstrong and his wife.
“He was a man that really, really cared about his community,” Reebals said. “There’s no telling the breadth of his impact over the years.”
Armstrong’s son, Robby Armstrong, said his dad was a selfless man.
“From birth on, he gave, and never asked or expected anything in return,” Robby Armstrong said.
Judy Armstrong said the couple was married for 56 years. They attended the same church and school and began dating in high school.
“He was always telling me he loved me,” she said. “I’m going to miss him.”
One gift Armstrong gave his children was in the way he loved their mother, always telling her how beautiful she was, Tapscott said.
Tapscott said her dad used his business as an opportunity to share his faith in Jesus Christ with others, even if he didn’t know them.
Armstrong’s son Joel said his dad’s work ethic always stood out to him. While he worked long hours, Armstrong’s family said it was never just to make money, but to provide for his family. Armstrong was always the kid’s biggest cheerleader, coming to all of the games he could.
“He would sit in the stands, smelling like fuel,” Robby Armstrong said. “He’d sit on the top row because nobody wanted to smell him.”
The greatest gift her father gave her was knowing she was loved, Tapscott said.
“He’d light up when I’d walk in the room,” she said.
And while he may best be known for his work at the auto shop, he became known for his barbecue as well. His father used to barbecue for the entire Cahaba Heights neighborhood, and so when Armstrong barbecued, the idea of only making enough ribs for his family was unheard of, Robby Armstrong said. It was not uncommon for him to make between 60 and 100 pounds of ribs for the Fourth of July, he said. Judy Armstrong said she “can’t hardly eat” barbecue anymore without thinking of the barbecue her husband made.
“It was so good,” she said.
At his visitation, there was a two-hour wait for those wishing to pay their respects, the family said. Jerry Tracey, the now-retired longtime meteorologist, attended the service and told the family that when Tracey was getting started in Birmingham, Armstrong always made sure he was “taken care of” in regards to his cars.
Another woman said she remembered Armstrong always telling her as a little girl to go get a piece of candy when she’d walk in the store, Tapscott said. Robby Armstrong said his mother-in-law remembered that he always had candy in his pockets to give to others.
While Armstrong didn’t receive many accolades in life, seeing the sheer number of people he influenced was meaningful, the family said.
“It’s heartwarming. It validated his life,” Robby Armstrong said.
