Aaron Armstrong

 Aaron Jeremiah was born in St. Paul, at Joseph's Hospital. He was 2 weeks past his due date. The doctor wanted his mother to be at the hospital for induction at a certain time but she was late as usual. Aaron wasted no time and was delivered within 2 hours.

His mother, Cassandra was struggling to find the right name. Then one night, she had a dream in which, when she was delivering him and as he was being delivered a voice from above (God) said, very boldly, "AND HIS NAME IS JEREMIAH". So, he was named Aaron Jeremiah, born at 8lbs 10oz.

Aaron needed to be held and fed every 2 hours. He was a very strong baby, very muscular. He was even lifting, and holding his head up, at 3 days old! One of his nicknames was "Baby Hulkster". Everyone thought he was going to grow up to be a football player!

As he grew, around the age of 3, he started saying "isn't it delicious?" while eating an orange. Aaron started cooking at a very young age. If you knew Aaron, you knew he could turn whatever you had in your kitchen into a fantastic gourmet meal!

As he went on to elementary school, he started drawing. He created things no human mind could comprehend. When we played Pictionary, his drawings were spot on. His talent was incredible and unmatched!

He went on to MCAD for a while. He then started a family and gifted the world with 2 beautiful daughters, Ophelia Edyn and Liliana Sol. He was such a great dad, loving them so deeply, anticipating their next milestones, walking right alongside them, picking then up when they fall and learning from them every day. His little bears. They were his everything!

He worked at Augustana nursing home for many years and always said "the little old ladies love me". His mom gave him my flip phone and he lost it in the snow one year while helping a resident out of a car he thought. Sometime later Cassandra got a call from him and he said "Mom, that phone you gave me? It's a Superman phone. It still works" (That happened to his Tamagotchi too). That was when he told finally told her he had lost it the previous winter and found it, outside, in the melting snow, that spring.

His transition from MCAD to tattoo apprenticeship, to tattoo artist was a tough one. He and his family struggled a lot but his determination and the pride he took in providing for his family would not let him fail.

He always had very high standards for service. Most of his tattoos were his original work and if it wasn't he would add his own style to the design. His art is such a beautiful reflection of him and he was so honored every day that he got to create and share that reflection of himself with others. He could see things in such a dynamic and detailed way.

Aaron has 3 siblings, brothers Matthew and Andrew and sister Brianna as well as a very large extended family. Oh, the stories they can tell! There was the time Aaron threw the Nintendo out the 2nd story window because he wanted to see how it deconstructed. The time Andrew came home fighting another boy and Aaron immediately came outside and stuck up for his younger brother (the fight didn't end well for the other boy). How he would ride his bike down the hill with no shoes on and try to stop it with his bare feet.

His friends were his family too. Everyone he met was met with kindness, a tender understanding and deep empathy. He was so easy to love because he was such love.

He spent a lot of time with his nieces and nephew. He gave them experiences in life they will never see again. He showed them the ropes when it came to outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and simply allowing the kids to be themselves. He had spent so many weekends and summers with the kids. If it were up to him, he would have them every day. He would challenge them to play video games with him. He had the most patience and was such a great teacher.

Aaron was a storyteller. He could dive deep into his mind to create a story that would have made everyone around him enamored with his mind and probably laugh until your stomach hurt. Most days you could find him listening to a book or watching a movie. He had the most astonishing memory. He could talk for lifetimes about the insurmountable interests and hobbies he had. Such a beautiful mind.

Aaron enjoyed being with his family and cooking big meals for everyone rather than being alone. His love language was feeding people, making something new and delicious and sharing it with the ones he loved. To experience Aaron's cooking was to experience his love. Thoughtful, patient, adjusting the spices as needed, rich with flavor and such comfort.

Aaron was loved by many and would want us all to know he loved us. He's not gone, just waiting for us on the other side.

A celebration of his life will be held Thursday, November 13th at 1:00 PM, Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center, 4600 Greenhaven Drive, White Bear. A visitation one hour prior. Arron will be laid to rest at Elmhurst Cemetery.

If you or a loved one is struggling with any mental health concerns, please reach out to a mental health professional. Be aware, the "mask" is heavy and it can be convincing until they can't bear the weight of it any longer.

Call 988 Suicide and Crisis Line or text 741741 Crisis Line