CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey ordered flags at all state-owned facilities to be displayed at half-staff Wednesday to commemorate the life of state Supreme Court Justice Tim Armstead.
Armstead, the former House Speaker, died Tuesday at the age of 60 after a brief battle with cancer.
Wednesday gave more former colleagues and friends of Armstead the chance to reflect and share their fondest memories with him.
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw says his best memories of Armstead don’t come from his work inside the Capitol.
“A lot more people knew former Speaker Armstead, but I’m not sure how many people knew Tim Armstead, and that really is the version of him I’ll remember most,” Hanshaw said on MetroNews “Talkline” Wednesday.
Hanshaw says Armstead did what he did for the right reasons and had a truly humble spirit.
“Tim Armstead was perhaps the single most ethical, most morally grounded, upstanding person I’ve ever had the privilege of getting to know,” he said. “He was among the very first people to ever talk to me about pursuing a contribution in public service to the state of West Virginia. He 100 percent did it for nothing but the right reasons.”
“I am confident that he disadvantaged himself and his family financially and otherwise throughout the course of his time as a public official because he insisted that he do it above reproach, that he fulfill his leadership role and his service to the people of this state in a manner that never invited or even permitted the implication of an ethical issue. The longer I am involved in this process, the more I respect the example Tim set for all of us,” Hanshaw added.
Former House Speaker Tim Miley was on MetroNews Midday Wednesday recalling his time with Armstead. He says Armstead was as humble as they came.
“You would think he was just another man on the street the way he carried himself and approached other people and interacted with them. He wasn’t arrogant in any way, shape, or form. He thought of others equal to himself. He always asked about your family, he always asked about how you were doing, and he was just a kind, caring person. They don’t come any better than that,” Miley said.
Miley, who spent 14 of his 16 years in the House of Delegates with Armstead, says the two had a very healthy working relationship.
“He and I had that unique relationship where we were always honest with each other when sometimes in politics, people aren’t. We were always forthright with each other, even if we disagreed politically and passionately,” Miley said.
Like many others since the death was announced, Senate President Randy Smith chose to talk about Armstead’s daily walk.
“He lived by example. You didn’t have to ask if Tim Armstead was a Christian. If you were around him for any amount of time or you talked to him, you knew he was a man of God and you knew he was a family man,” Smith said.
Miley agrees that Armstead was a man of faith that loved to serve.
“You get concerned that some words are overused, but to say that Tim Armstead was the salt of the earth is so appropriate for that gentleman,” Miley said. “He was a kind, caring, honest person. He loved his Lord and Savior, he loved his wife, and he loved serving West Virginia.”