Jean Isabel (Nelson) Armellino, 90, passed away peacefully August 13, 2017 surrounded by family at her Jacksonville, Fla. home.
Jean was born at home in Monticello, Minn. on September 25, 1926 as the oldest child of the late Richard and Gladys (Elliott) Nelson. She attended local schools and graduated from Monticello High School in 1944. Upon graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the Veterans Administration during World War II.
After the war, Jean married and settled in Huntington, N.Y. Jean raised four sons, Gregory Stern, Richard Armellino, Jr., Stephen Armellino, and Gary Armellino during her 57 year marriage to the late Richard (Dick) A. Armellino, Sr. Jean assisted her husband, Dick, and their three youngest sons in the operation of American Body Armor, which Dick founded in 1969 and operated on Long Island, N.Y. In the early 1980s, the company moved to Fernandina Beach and shortly thereafter American Body Armor was sold to a public company.
After retiring, Jean and Dick moved to Big Talbot Island outside Jacksonville. They devoted themselves to their sons’ families, consisting of many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Jean volunteered with the hospital in Fernandina Beach for many years and was an avid supporter of animal rescue, adopting many dogs and cats abandoned on Big Talbot Island. She was a great friend to the BEAKS Bird Rescue Sanctuary and sponsored many fundraising events. Jean and Dick were also avid golfers and were active members in The Amelia Island Plantation Owner’s Club. Besides golf, her husband, a decorated WWII and Korean War Army Air Corps and Air Force aviator, had a passion for piloting his own plane and Jean enjoyed junkets with Dick all over the Southeast on the plane well beyond his 80th birthday. When questioned about the wisdom of flying alone with her 82-year-old husband, Jean said, “If it’s our time, it’s our time.” It wasn’t their time. Jean and Dick enjoyed many more years at their idyllic waterfront home on Big Talbot Island.
Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, and her parents. She is survived by her sons, Gregory (Judy) Stern of Strasburg, Pa. and their children Derek (Jen) Stern, Whitney (Christopher) Spratt, and Gretchen Stern, Richard (Bette) Armellino, Jr. of Lancaster, Pa. and their children, Lisa Armellino, Kristen (Mark) Roth, and Ricky Armellino, Stephen (Jana) Armellino of Mission Viejo, Calif. and their children, Jennifer (Russ) Boyd, Brittany Armellino and Michael Morgan, and Gary Armellino of Jacksonville. Jean is also survived by her sister, Marge Biske of Monticello and her family. Jean had six great-grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews, and, of course, her beloved dogs, Duke II and Sadie.
A public memorial service will be held in Jean’s honor on September 30, 2017, at The Saint George Episcopal Church, located at 10560 Fort George Road on Fort George Island in Jacksonville. The service will begin at 11 a.m. and will be followed by a reception. In accordance with her wishes, Jean’s ashes will be scattered at sea not far from her favorite beach. Donations in her memory may be made to The Nassau Humane Society of Fernandina Beach (www.nassauhumanesociety.com), BEAKS Bird Sanctuary of Big Talbot Island (www.beaksbirdkare.org), or St. George Episcopal Church. Please mark your donations “Armellino Memorial.”
Eternity Funeral Homes & Cremations – Jacksonville