Ethelyn M. (Ellis) Armstrong, age 90, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 26, 2023, at the Mary Ann Morse Nursing Center in Natick, Massachusetts. Born in Blackstone, Massachusetts on June 1, 1933, she was the eldest child of the late Raymond and Ethel (Young) Ellis. Ethelyn, known as Lynn, was raised in Franklin, where she participated in school sports and graduated from Franklin High School in 1952.
Lynn worked as a Telephone Operator in Franklin as a teen and helped her parents in bringing up her siblings. After high school she married Robert G. Armstrong of Franklin, MA. They raised their children Robert G. Armstrong, Jr., Michael J. Armstrong, and George T. Armstrong into their teens in Bellingham and Franklin. Their fourth son David A. Armstrong passed away as an infant.
Lynn later married William E. (Bill) Warburton (Deceased) of Foxboro, MA. They merged her Armstrong boys with Bill’s sons Franklin T. Warburton, Michael E. Warburton, and William E. Warburton, Jr. in their home in Foxboro where Lynn thoroughly enjoyed all of the challenges and rewards of mothering the 6 young men.
After Bill passed away Lynn married Thomas J. Armstrong (Deceased) of Uxbridge, MA and was happy to extend her grandmother’s caring to his family.
Lynn’s devotion to the Nursing profession helped her express her kind and giving nature to its fullest. She started her work in the field in her thirties taking calls at Pondville Hospital in Norfolk. She then earned her LPN and RN credentials along with her bachelor’s degree from Worcester State College and went on to a distinguished Nursing career before retiring in her mid-70s. Her assignments ranged from nursing at Pondville, a cancer care facility where she cared for her mom through her final stages of life, to intensive care posts and Director of Nursing roles at Norwood and Milford Hospitals. Lynn’s work earned her the recognition of many in her field and included being invited to work on a team shaping the future of nursing in the Boston area. Her final nursing work was caring for the elderly at The Maples Nursing home in Wrentham, MA.
Being outdoors and travelling were among Lynn’s favorite pleasures. Whether beach-buggying on Nauset beach in Orleans or summering at White Horse Beach in Manomet where she also worked as a waitress, she always made sure her children had wonderful experiences. Later in life, as a grandmother and aunt, she carried that tradition on by co-hosting annual summer excursions for many of the family’s kids to coastal destinations with a few of her sisters.
Lynn and Bill also created a small farm at their home in Norfolk where Bill had a variety of farm animals and she gardened and grew crops of vegetables that she loved sharing with the family.
Lynn truly enjoyed travelling to visit distant family. She and Bill made annual trips to New Orleans to visit with his sons Frank and Mike. Those trips often included stops to visit other relatives – and casinos. She was an avid Bingo player throughout her life and especially enjoyed regular trips to Foxwoods with her sister and brother-in-law June and Cliff Landry.
Her loving siblings included Donna Morris of Natick, Raymond "Butch" Ellis of Cape Cod, Susan Hanley of Warwick, Rhode Island, the late June Landry, the late Rae Kline, the late Allen Ellis and the late Carolyn Buck.
She cherished her daughter-in-law Kathleen, her grandchildren Becky Armstrong of Woonsocket, RI, Barry Armstrong of Boston, MA, the late Lisa Armstrong of Belair, MD, Bethany Armstrong of North Carolina, Kasey Armstrong of Bellingham, MA, Mason Armstrong and his wife Kasey Bellegarde of Plymouth, MA, and Lucas Armstrong of Bellingham, MA, and her great grandchildren Devin and Jaden Sicari of Woonsocket, RI, Logan Armstrong of Idaho, and Oliver Armstrong of Hawaii.
Lynn is also survived by many in-laws, loving members of the Warburton family, and nieces and nephews.
Her greatest hope would simply be that her family and friends remember her fondly as a good and caring person.
Lynn was an Angel of Mercy in the truest sense. Her family would like to thank her sister and brother Angels of Mercy, the staff at the Mary Ann Morse Nursing care center, for the commitment they showed in caring for her over the last 3.5 years.
Calling hours will be at the Ginley Funeral Home (www.ginleyfuneralhomes.com), 131 Main Street, Franklin on Friday, December 29 from 4-7pm.
Her funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 30 at 10am in the funeral home. Burial will follow in City Mills Cemetery, Franklin.
In lieu of flowers, Lynn would request that donations be made to Boston Children’s Hospital (https://www.childrenshospital.org) or to fund the fight against Dementia and Alzheimers (https://www.dementiasociety.org).