John W. Armstrong, lll

John William Armstrong, III, a pioneering and well-respected basketball coach, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, mentor and friend to many, passed away on January 31, 2026 at the age of 77.

He was born on January 1, 1949 in Washington, D.C., the oldest child of John William Armstrong, Jr. and Mae Maxine Holley (Lawson). He was also the grandson of Irma Lawson, a Delaware businesswoman who was active in Democratic politics and played a key role in desegregating Salesianum High School in 1950. John briefly lived in D.C. and Philadelphia, but grew up and spent most of his life in Wilmington, Delaware. He attended Catholic primary and middle schools, graduated from Salesianum in 1966, and studied at Delaware State University- then Delaware State College-during the late sixties. John retired as a Master Sergeant from the Wilmington Police Department after 23 years of dedicated service. After retiring from the police department, he worked as an investigator in the Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance for two decades.

One of John’s greatest passions was sports. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of major professional, college, and high school teams, athletes, rules, and coaching strategies. He played football and baseball in high school and college, but his time as an athlete was limited by hip and knee injuries. While John was in the hospital recovering from knee surgery, famed Salesianum football coach Dominic “Dim” Montero recognized his potential as a coach and encouraged him to take up the profession.

He started his coaching career with youth league football and CYO girls’ basketball where he served for many years. In 1995, he became the Head Coach of Padua Academy’s varsity girls’ basketball team. In 1999, John made history as the first African-American coach of a Catholic school team to win the state championship.

He continued to give back to the community by running the girls’ division of the Stormin’s Classic summer basketball league and later becoming the director of the Greater Wilmington Girls Summer Basketball Classic. He was also a founding member of B.A.S.S., the Black Alumni Society of Salesianum.

John W. Armstrong III is survived by his wife Theodosia R. Armstrong; his children John W. Armstrong, IV (Kristen), Andrea Alston (Anthony), M.Tye Comer (Brian), Chi Davis, Dianna Williams (Corey), Lawrence Davis, and Stacia Moon (Michael); his grandchildren Brian, Kendal, Lawrence, Elijah, Sydni, Stephen, Zoe, Alaina, Shane, Aidan, Dante, Langston, Ivy, and Siena; and one great-grandchild, Zayden.

He is also survived by his siblings Stephen L. Armstrong (Peggy), Eugene Holley, Jr., Ruschelle Trueheart, Darlene Mitchenor, Jon Eric Armstrong, and Donna Macon, as well as a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, John William Armstrong, Jr. and Mae Maxine Holley (Lawson), and his brother William Armstrong.

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