Dorothy Lee (Little) Armster
October 25, 1937 ~ December 7, 2023
Dorothy Lee (Little) Armster graced the earth on October 25th, 1937 in Marks, Mississippi. The only child from the marriage of Wilson Little and Ruby Lee Autman Poe; she was nicknamed “Puddin’” because she was so sweet.
Years later, she moved with her mother to Memphis, TN where she gained a stepfather, and eventually, 7 siblings. She always felt she had the best of both worlds: a large loud family with her mother, and the undivided attention and adoration from her father. Being loved by her parents in different ways helped pave the way for how she navigated future relationships, and encouraged her sense of adventure.
After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School she attended Lemoyne Owens College, then joined the United States Air Force. It was at Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado where she fell in love with travel. There she met Franksin Armster. They married in 1958 and gave birth to their first child, Michelle, in 1959. After two years, they were stationed to Tachikawa Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan where Cynthia was born in 1960. After 3 years the Armster family returned stateside, and in 1967 Deborah was added to the family in Roswell, New Mexico.
Soon, the Armster family was deployed to Lakenheath Air Force base in England where her only begotten son Michael completed the family in 1968. The Armster family moved from England to California, to Tennessee, and Germany before she and her children settled in Salina, KS where they were warmly welcomed by so many military families who had also traveled the world, and yet chose to settle in Salina…the center of the US.
Dorothy always believed in family. She was the glue that encouraged family relationships to flourish. She celebrated family milestones and successes, and was intentional about her children regularly spending time with their father and his family. Michelle graduated from Salina High School South and Cynthia, Deborah, and Michael all graduated from Salina High School Central. Dorothy had a fulfilling career with the USPS that ended only when she chose to retire after 25 years of service. Her authentic ability to comfortably move through different spaces helped establish her as a pillar in the community. She was active in the American Postal Workers Union, Christian Women's Club, Salina Citizen PoliceAcademy, NAACP, National Association for the Mentally Ill, and St. John's Missionary Baptist Church where she passionately taught Sunday School and Bible study classes, and where she untiringly served in various leadership roles over many years. She was an active member of The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), proudly served in the auxiliary of the Disabled American Veterans, and dutifully volunteered as a driver transporting fellow vets from Salina to the Robert J. Dole VA Hospital to access medical services. Dorothy Lee Little Armster fed the hungry, housed the unhoused, counseled the weary, and prayed for all. Her home was always open to those in need, and anyone who entered her home was warmly welcomed with a hot cup of spiced tea!
Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents, Ruby Lee Poe and Wilson Little, her brother Allen (Boo) Poe, and her only begotten son, Michael A. Armster. She is survived by her daughters Rev. Michelle Elizabeth Armster, the beautiful Dr. Cynthia Denise Armster, and Deborah Yvonne Armster Winchel (Gary Winchel); her gorgeous granddaughters Sobenna Armster Worrill, and Mercy Michelle Winchel, and her handsome grandson Khary York Starks Armster; and her beloved siblings Lizzie (Bee) Long, Dr. Kwadwo (Bubba) Po, Evelyn (Ebbo) Poe-Bradford, Milton (Baba) Poe, Carol (Punchy) Nugent, Aurelia (Pixie) Poe, and a host of extended family and friends.