Miriam B. Armerding, the "first lady" of Wheaton College from 1965 to 1982, died July 1 at Lancaster (Pa.) General Hospital of congestive heart failure. She was 86.
She and her husband, Dr. Hudson T. Armerding, had lived for the past several years at the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community. They celebrated 61 years of marriage in December.
She was born Aug. 6, 1919 in Washington, D.C. to the late George and Ruth (Scarbrough) Bailey, and grew up in Tulsa, OK., where she developed a lifelong passion for music.
After graduating from high school, she attended Central Bible College in Missouri, and then received a Bachelor's Degree in music education from Wheaton College in 1942. She later taught at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music, and also at Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.
She married Dr. Armerding on Dec. 26, 1944, and together they raised five children.
She expressed her love of music in many ways. Besides teaching at the collegiate level, she taught private piano lessons, both in Massachusetts and in Wheaton, instilling music appreciation and discipline in hundreds of students. She taught piano to each of her children. During the 1950s, while her husband was Dean of Gordon College, she performed occasional piano concerts with R. Rice Nutting of Danvers, Mass. She was a member of College Church in Wheaton, where she sang in the choir and was a regular soloist. And after she and her husband retired to Quarryville, she directed the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community choir and continued to give piano lessons.
As "first lady" of Wheaton College during the years that her husband served as president, she led a weekly Bible study and prayer group for faculty women. She was also a past president of the Women's Association of the National Association of Evangelicals.
In addition to music, her two great loves were her family and the natural world. She took particular delight in flower gardening and bird watching.
Besides her husband, she is survived by three sons: H. Taylor Armerding II of Ipswich, Mass., Dr. Paul T. Armerding of Hood River, Ore. and Jonathan E. Armerding of Albuquerque, N.M.; two daughters: Carreen A. Smith of Seattle, Wash. and Miriam (Mimi) Swisher of Spearfish, S.D.; 18 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She is also survived by a sister, Audrey Hejhall, of Phoenix, Ariz. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Warren and William Bailey.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, July 10 at 3:30 P.M. at College Church in Wheaton, Washington and Seminary St. in Wheaton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Miriam Armerding Memorial, Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187, or to the Overseas Missionary Fellowship International, 10 West Dry Creek Circle, Littleton, CO 80120-4413.
Information and guest book is available at hultgrenfh.com or call Hultgren Funeral Home in Wheaton at 630-668-0027.