Susan Rae Armistead

Susan Rae Armistead passed away peacefully at age 75 at home in Sequim, WA. on 10 March 2024 with her husband Dave and daughter Wendi by her side.

Sue was born 5 November 1948 in Port Angeles, WA. to her mother, Mildred Scott and her father, Lester Scott. She attended West Bremerton High School graduating in 1967.

On 7 November 1988 Sue married her husband, Dave Armistead in Maui, Hawaii in Kihei on Kamaole Beach. Their love for each other was evident through their 35 years of marriage and only grew through time.

Sue retired for good in 2019 (she previously tried retiring twice prior to that but was always “lured back” as she would say and I am sure that Marlene was the instigator). She just loved to work and interact with co-workers and the public.

Sue’s work experience was vast. In 1976 she was hired by the Navy Publishing and Printing Service Office (later becoming Defense Printing Service), Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, which began a career in the printing trade she endeared through 1991. She held several different positions while working her way up the ladder including printer helper/assistant, press operator, and bindery equipment operator. She worked not only at PSNS but also at the print shops at the Naval Submarine Base Bangor and NUWES Keyport. As a bindery equipment operator Sue operated a huge electronic/programmable guillotine paper cutter with 52” cutting blade. She would lift 50 pound loads of 22” x 34” paper stock onto the bed of the cutter and cut it down to various sizes. Her small 112 LB frame handled any aspect of the job.

In 1991 Sue and her husband Dave both held positions overseas in Rota, Spain on the Spanish Air Base. During their 3 year tour in Rota she worked as a lead Travel Clerk at the Personnel Support Activity (PSA) and the Naval Computer Telecommunication Station (NCTS) as the Commanding Officer’s Executive Secretary and as the Sponsor Coordinator as well. She also volunteered at the Rota Animal Welfare League Shelter (RAWLS) helping care for the animals and assisted with bake sales and events to raise money for the shelter (that was “so Sue” for those who knew her). Her and Dave also fostered 3 dogs and a cat and when they ended their tour in 1994 in Spain she brought home the 3 dogs with her by herself and when Dave returned 2 months later he brought home the cat. From 1994 to 1996 Sue worked for the Naval Hospital at PSNS as a travel Clerk and then got back into printing running the South Kitsap High School print shop until 1998.

Sue and Dave moved to Sequim, WA. from Silverdale, WA. in 1999. She worked at First Federal Bank in Sequim, Frontier Bank in Port Townsend, WA., and Kitsap Bank in Port Ludlow, WA. In 2012 they moved to Poulsbo to be closer to the majority of the grandkids and she continued to work for Kitsap Bank in Poulsbo and would float to the other Kitsap Bank locations including Bainbridge Island, East Bremerton, Silverdale, and Kingston. She truly loved the co-workers at all the banks and had a special rapport with the customers. Sue earned several Sustained Performance Awards throughout her careers on both the Federal and banking sides. In 2019 she “officially retired” and her and Dave moved back to Sequim in 2020.

Sue enjoyed gardening, dancing, sewing, learning to quilt, and was a ferocious bargain hunter. Having owned no less than 42 pairs of shoes, combined with the fact that both daughters and sisters wore the same size of shoe, there was a whole lot of shoe bargaining going on whenever they got together. She also enjoyed playing baseball and of course adored and cared for all their pets throughout the years including Tequila, Stubbs, Prima, Skye, Blossom, Bones, Bennie,and their beloved Bernie who they were fortunate to reside with for 18 years. While stationed in Spain they traveled to Portugal, England, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Morocco, Gibraltar, and covered most of Spain. Sue was very fond of Kona, Hawaii, and Oregon and Washington coasts, and had a special place in her heart for Lake Crescent up on the Olympic Peninsula.

Love of family was always on full display with Sue hosting Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinners over the years along with birthday gatherings, graduations, family reunions, and other special occasions. She dearly loved all her, children, siblings, and in-laws. Her grandchildren and great grandson were truly the apples of her eyes.

Friends new and old were very special to Sue. Her address book and contact list were overflowing and those relationships were so important to her. She touched so many people in so many ways over the years whether it be through the work force or on the personal side. Sue was an adamantly devoted wife and was truly “the glue” that held the family together.

Sue is survived by her loving husband David of Sequim, their daughter Julie Pavkovich (Jeff) of Sequim, their daughter Wendi Woods of Bremerton, and their son Jordan Armistead of Bremerton, her grandkids Thomas Myers, Rasor Woods, Elianah Armistead, Graci Woods and Great Grandson Easton Woods, David J. Armistead, and Grey Armistead . She is also survived by her sister Patti Brandt of Sequim, brother Guy Scott of Graham, WA., brother Bob Scott (Jean) of Port Orchard, WA., brother Bill Scott of Port Orchard, brother Gary Scott (Kathy) of Port Orchard, John Scott of Port Orchard, and Peg Dewar (Joe) of Poulsbo and nieces Lori Sue Butler (Gary) of Port Angeles, Mandy Bayne (Jeff) of Port Orchard, Lexi Neigel (John) of Poulsbo, and nephews Donnie Scott (Brandy) of Port Orchard, and Derek Dewar of Seattle.

There will be a memorial for the immediate family at a later date. Contributions can be made to the Hospice of your choice, or the American Cancer Society.