EATON — Lifelong residents of Eaton were honored on Saturday, June 9, with a gift from their family and a proclamation from Mayor Gary Wagner and Eaton City Councilnaming the day “Robert and Carol Armacost Family Day.”
For Carol Armacost’s 80th birthday, Bob and Carol’s three daughters decided to dedicate a bench in their name.
Periodically, Carol Armacost is in Vancrest for rehab and the couple’s daughter felt moved to give love to the park across the street. The family purchased a park bench for Seven Mile Park in the name of their parents. The city decided to join in on the family’s birthday celebration.
Together, they gathered to unveil the generous gift and Mayor Wagner presented the family with a proclamation of recognition. It reads, “Therefore, I, Gary Wagner, Mayor of the City of Eaton, Ohio, and on behalf of the Eaton community, do hereby proclaim Saturday, June 9, 2018, as “Robert and Carol Armacost Family Day” in the City of Eaton, Ohio.
“We extend a heartfelt thank you to the Armacosts for their kindness in providing a park bench that will be a joy to so many and a belated congratulations to Carol on her big day. Our highest regards and best wishes to Bob, Carol, Kristi, Susan, Traci and your families.”
Carol Hollis (later Armacost) was originally from Hartford City, Indiana, while Bob Armacost grew up in Jackson Township. They moved to Eaton from New Hope in 1969, residing at the same home address since that time. Bob Armacost ran Armacost Elevator, while Carol was a teacher in the Twin Valley South School District.
Carol Armacost turned 80 years old in May of this year. Her family celebrated her birthday on Saturday, June 9, with a party of family and friends at Beare’s Banquet Hall.
“Our family wanted to present Mother with a family gift commemorating her birthday,” daughter Susan McDermott added. “The park bench felt like a great way to celebrate her birthday, while also commemorate our parents’ 56th wedding anniversary the day before on June 8.
“The parks of Eaton are beautifully kept for its citizens, so a park bench felt like a great way to honor our mother, parents, and our beautiful hometown of Eaton. Marsha Shannon, with the City of Eaton, made the adventure of the park bench very smooth and enjoyable. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat given Marsha’s help and guidance along the way.
“Truthfully, working with Marsha reminded me of why I love Eaton so much and we developed a friendship through the process. I cannot say enough about how easy Marsha made the process. I will always be grateful for her help, especially since I live in Wisconsin. Thank you, Marsha!”
“The proclamation from Mayor Wagner was a very big and wonderful surprise,” McDermott said. “To have been honored with his presence and the proclamation added an element that brought smiles and happy tears. We were all very grateful and the words resonated then and still do, and will continue to resonate long after the event for which the words were written becomes just a memory. We are grateful.”
“The only thing I will add are the words I shared with Marsha as the day approached: ‘Hometowns do so much more for their citizens than just provide a place to live with utilities and such. Hometowns form character and foster values in children and families that last and are sprinkled other places.’
“Eaton did that for my sisters and me. Eaton is still doing that for our own children, too. Giving back to our parents and to our hometown in honor of Mother’s birthday was a gift my sisters and I gave ourselves, too. We may leave those places we love, but we take the lessons of those places we loved further into the world. It is a beautiful thing.”
