Mary Marshall (Mim) Whitfield Armour, 70, of Rock Hill, passed away on Monday, May 1, at her home surrounded by her family after a courageous 22-year battle with Stage 4 Breast Cancer.
A memorial service for Mim will be held at Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church on Friday, May 5, at 3:00 PM, with Reverend Jane Summey Mullennix officiating. Her remains will be interred in the church’s Memorial Garden.
Mim was born in Charlotte, NC on March 3, 1953, the daughter of Owen Hampton Whitfield, Sr., and Mildred Black Stewart. She was a graduate of Myers Park High School, Peace College, and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, graduating in 1975 with a BS in Sociology. Mim did further graduate studies at Winthrop University. She was presented at the 1972 North Carolina Terpsichorean Debutant Ball.
While at Peace College, she met her future husband Jim Armour as they worked together one summer at Myrtle Beach. He drove an English double-decker bus while she served as the meter-maid, selling tickets. The two were married in 1975 and July 12 would have been their 48th wedding anniversary.
Mim was an active member of Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church where she was an Elder and Stephen Minister. The family would like to personally thank Chris Williamson and Becky McGinnis, who served as her Stephen Ministers during her sickness, plus all the other members of OAPC and friends who have brought meals and offered support through the years.
Mim spent her career in higher education. She retired from Winthrop University where she was Director of Institutional Research. Upon retirement, she spent five years as a consulting analyst with the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education. She was a former President of the South Carolina Association of Institutional Research and a member of both the Southern and National Associations of Institutional Research.
Surviving is her husband, James David Armour, Sr., and her children Emilee Marshall Armour Ware (Joey) of Fort Mill and James David Armour, Jr. of the home, her grandsons, who she loved dearly and were the lights of her life, William Marshall Ware, Owen David Ware, and Charles Stewart Ware, all of Fort Mill. She is also survived by her sister Andrea Whitfield Beyer of Jacksonville, Fl, and brothers Owen Hampton (Chip) Whitfield, Jr (Martha) of Charlotte, Lee Stewart Whitfield of Indian Land, and her stepmother Elizabeth Armstrong Whitfield, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother-in-law, Robert W. Beyer.
The family would like to thank the many doctors, nurses, and staff of Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte for their professional and compassionate care over the past 22 years. Special thanks go out to Dr. Steven Limentani, Dr. Antoinette Tan, and Dr. Arielle Heeke, as each served as her primary oncologist over the years. Also, Hospice and Palliative Care for providing comfort and care in her final days.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oakland Avenue Presbyterian Church, 421 Oakland Ave., Rock Hill SC 29730, Levine Cancer Institute, 208 East Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203 (AtriumHealthFoundation.org/tribute), or Boy Scout Troop 108, 16020 Elizabeth Berry Ct., Fort Mill, SC 29708.