ROCKPORT — Alexander VanDyke Armentrout departed this earth on March 17, 2026. Eldest son of James Sylvester and Dorothea Virginia Armentrout, he was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 12, 1941.

He attended Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia and graduated from the Hill School, the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and Harvard Business School.

He was husband, father, son, sibling, businessman, business owner, investor, trustee, racing sailor, art collector, and wine afficionado, maintaining a modest cellar with some very fine wine. His interests and commitments were many and highly varied. When able to do so, he traveled the world with his wife, Paula Goodridge Armentrout. As a family member his particular interest was in assuring that those coming along behind him had access to the best education that they could absorb.

At age 15 he traveled by himself to Oslo, Norway, where he went aboard the six-meter racing sailboat, Goose, traveling down the Oslo Fjord to Hanko, Norway, where he supervised repairs to damage done in shipment to Norway, followed by serving as foredeck man on the boat in an international regatta as part of the crew with Olympic Gold Medal winner, Herman "Swede" Whiton. Another summer he was called home from sailing events to paint the family barn!

His business career commenced with shift work where he eventually became General Manager in a textile mill in Sanford, Maine. It proceeded from there to his being President of Journal Publications in Camden; Publisher of the Waterway Guide in Annapolis, Maryland; Associate Publisher of Yachting Magazine, and later to ownership of Portland Transmission, Portland, Maine, and other locations in Maine and New Hampshire.

In 1989, Paula and Alex moved to Maine and settled in Rockport in 1999 where Paula was born and grew up. In Rockport, Alex worked with school boards in the effort to promote educational excellence while endeavoring to keep school costs down. He also served on various town boards, acting as Vice Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals for several years, Chairman of the Ordinance Review Committee, and for years after provided input to that group. He also served as Commodore of the Rockport Boat Club.

Alex is survived by the very special woman to whom he referred as "The Love of His Life," Paula Goodridge Armentrout, his wife of 48 years; by his children, Victoria Fields Armentrout and Nicholas Ross Armentrout; and grandchildren, the children of Nicholas and Sarah Chappell Armentrout, Jacob Ramsay, Hazel Holloway, and Ivy Siver Armentrout; and the step-daughter of Victoria and husband Maxsween Myrvin Emmons, Tasia Madison Safaree Emmons. He was predeceased by his brother Richard Weinacht Armentrout, whose widow is Gudrun. Living siblings include Michael A. Roosevelt and wife Maria, Christine Roosevelt Stimac and her husband Victor, and various nieces and nephews.

A private family service will be held for Alexander. There will be no public service. In lieu of other contributions, donations may be made in Alexander's name to either Maine Farmland Trust, Coastal Mountains Land Trust, or Merryspring Nature Center.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.