Salem - Rachael Anne Armstrong, passed away on the morning of Friday, August 21, 2026, peacefully, at home, and surrounded by love.

Rachael was born January 10, 1984 at the Army hospital in Nuremberg, Germany to Michael Evan and Tanya (Nosal) Goldstein. Her love of travel and adventure started early on, taking in the castles, mountains, and sights of Germany, Italy and Holland all before she was two years old. Her travels continued stateside, moving with her family to live in Lawton, Oklahoma then to Bensalem, Pennsylvania and back to Lawton again with in-between stays at her maternal grandparents’ home on Blind Buck Road in Salem, New York. In 1992 the family settled for good in West Hebron, New York. Rachael brought sunshine and love and made lifelong friends everywhere she went.

Rachael graduated from Salem Washington Academy in 2002, and from Syracuse University in 2006 with a degree in Television, Radio, and Film and immediately decided she wanted to be an English teacher and set her mind to getting a second Bachelor’s degree at SUNY New Paltz.

On June 30, 2007 Rachael married her high school sweetheart and love of her life Charles Woodrow Armstrong. They began their adventure together in New Paltz, then moved to West Hebron where they welcomed their children Jacob Woodrow in 2010 and Lily Ellen in 2012. They moved one more time in 2018 to the home on Blind Buck Road she had learned to love as a child.

Rachael earned her Master’s degree and became a tenured English teacher at Cambridge Central School, sharing her love of literature and a well-turned phrase with every person fortunate enough to be her student. When her health no longer allowed her to be a full-time teacher there, she substituted at Salem school as much as she was able. She was also a member of the Salem Bancroft Library board, and a volunteer at innumerable community events.

You could count on Rachael to be the captain and the navigator, the orchestrator of fun, the planner of vacations, the proofreader, the internet researcher, and the fountain of advice. She had a way of cutting right to the point, and wasn’t afraid to tell you firmly, but tactfully, what you may not have wanted to hear but needed to. She refused to put up with nonsense or BS, as her kids and students can confirm, but her true-North sense of what was right and fair allowed her to bend the rules a bit when the occasion called for it.

Rachael was an excellent cook and a superb baker, known for her delicious and beautiful cakes. She loved her flower and vegetable gardens and one of her favorite things was to go out in the early morning with a cup of coffee and bask in Nature’s beauty. She was creative too, knitting hats, crocheting blankets, painting rocks, propagating succulents, and repurposing second hand finds, and she was generous in passing them along to family and friends. If you were lucky enough to be her family or her friend you always knew how much she loved you and if you had just met her, you couldn’t help falling a little bit in love with her.

Rachael loved the beach. She loved taking selfies with friends and family and was always ready to help take a picture for other people. She loved travel and adventure and books and words and word games and movies and sno-cones and popcorn and going out for ice cream. After her diagnosis she embraced the idea of choose joy with all her heart. She carried herself with grace and courage and the world is a better place because she was in it.

Rachael is survived by her best friend and husband Charlie, her children Jacob and Lily, her parents Mike and Tanya, her brother Dan and his wife Jenny, and her father-in-law Doug. She is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, a niece and nephew, a great nephew, and all the wonderful friends she had, and her sweet Daisy Dog. We all loved her dearly and will miss her always.

Rachael was pre deceased by her maternal and paternal grandparents, her uncle Robert Goldstein, her sister-in-law Felicia Armstrong, and her mother-in-law Michelle Armstrong.

Cancer is a remorseless monster. Rachael would want all of you to get your screenings and to get any symptoms checked out, no matter how minor or vague they may seem.

The family would like to thank all those who helped in any way during this difficult time. There are too many to name here, but you are all so appreciated and loved. A special thank you to Jesse, Diane, and Amanda.

Donations in Rachael’s memory can be made to the Rachael Armstrong Memorial Scholarship, care of the business office at Salem Central School.

All are welcome to join with us in a Celebration of Rachael’s life on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 3:00 PM at the Salem Courthouse Community Center.

To express your sympathy or share a memory of Rachael, please visit www.gariepyfuneralhomes.com

Arrangements have been entrusted to the McClellan-Gariepy Funeral Home, Inc., in Salem, NY.