Larry Schwab, along with Armand's son-in-law Tomas, was with Armand until the final hour. He wrote an e-mail message to his family, informing them of his friend's passing and that message has since become the Announcement of Armand's Passing. It has been forwarded all over the world and has caused record-breaking statistics for the Armand Blog!
Their friendship must have been one of mutual admiration and respect, for Larry Schwab is quite an accomplished person himself. He is an ophthamologist, a West Virginia University distinguished alumnus, textbook author, decorated war veteran and humanitarian. Larry is Armand's kind of guy!
Larry has kindly allowed me to share the words he sent his family:
Dear Family,
Armand Singer, born in 1914, died peacefully at 0215 this morning at Ruby Memorial Hospital. To die was his wish after enduring five weeks of extraordinary misery, failed surgeries, immobility, and unremitting pain. He requested that his ventilator be removed and life support systems be discontinued two days ago and made his wishes known to Ann, Mary's and Armand’s only child. I was at his bedside with Tomas, Ann’s husband until just minutes before his death. True to his character of being Armand, he was in control even to the very last.
In passing from this life, he bequeaths a colorful, extensive and eclectic record of intellectual accomplishments and travel odysseys. Armand had visited both the North and South Poles, for example. He had traveled, together with his wife Mary, daughter Ann and son-in law Tomas, and close friends, every continent and ocean. His inveterate travel habit led him to journey to some of the planet’s most difficult and remote destinations. An endearing feature of the man was that he refused to allow his age to prevent him from doing the things he wanted to do.
There will be a legion of friends, family, and admirers at his memorial service planned for early October when WVU is back in session. There we will likely encounter philatelists, explorers, linguists, distinguished professors, poets, limerick writers, peripatetic wanderers, and grateful students whose journeys have encountered his.
Please do this, in Armand’s memory, and for an enlightening read:
Google “Armand Singer” and boot the first web page that pops up. There you will find an extraordinary record – not written by him, but instead by a yoga teacher in Hawaii – of some of his many interests, including a reflection on his final days alive on Earth. Juxtaposed near those words is a photograph on Armand on Safari in the Serengeti in an open Land Rover and tandem sky diving in Hawaii, remarkable feats at any age. The catch here is that both photographs were made when he was nearly 90 years old.
With love to all,
Lar
Photo: West Virginia University
