Steven Armstrong

Ma. Steven Guy Gregory Armstrong Sr., age 69, of San Jose, California, journeyed home on the morning of Saturday, June 21, 2025. Steve was born August 22, 1955, in Harlem, New York, to Lincoln J. Armstrong and Almond Armstrong (née Fredericks).

To family and friends who knew him best, Steve will be remembered as an extraordinary figure who enjoyed life and lived it as fully and as passionately as he could.

Steve was a big personality whose dreams were just as big, if not bigger. He was the center of nearly every room he entered and almost always knew how to make someone laugh or what advice might be needed to help a friend. His many years as a barber put him in contact with people from all walks of life, which was a source of pride for him. He took making someone look and feel their best seriously and considered it a great personal service. He saw the value in every human being and wanted to help the world see that value too.

His commitment to uplifting people, families, and communities across the United States was apparent in every thing he did. He advocated strongly for community practices that would give families opportunities to thrive through his American Revenue Movement United Service (ARMUS) project. He was a successful business owner serving families in the Bay Area for more than 40 years. Together with his wife, Brenda, they ran the Cultural Cuts and Curls Barbershop (CULCO Enterprises), a place where many gathered for fun and community.

As a former semi-pro athlete, MVP, and champion, playing with and against NBA greats, Steve was a sports enthusiast with a winner's mentality in athletics and life. "Winner's win," he would often say. Basketball and football were his favorites.

Steve was someone who famously always had something to say to any and everyone. In his absence, the world is now a little quieter; his booming voice will be missed, and his fun-loving and mischievous bearing will be remembered fondly.

Steve is survived by his wife, Brenda Armstrong (née Gilmore); his sons Steven Armstrong Jr., Patrick Armstrong, and Martin Armstrong; his daughters Nicole Zanaaé, Alexandria Pearl Armstrong; his son-in-law David Edwards, and his grandchildren, Zion, Naar, and Asa Edwards. He is also survived by his brothers, Michael Armstrong and Mike Wood, a sister, Paulette Goggins, several nieces and nephews, and a big family in New York whom he loved deeply.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Lincoln Armstrong and Almond Armstrong (née Fredericks), his stepmother, Louise Armstrong, and his sister, Sgt. Paula J. Burns (née Armstrong), and his brother Daniel Overby.

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