Dr John Norman Armour was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, of Scottish ancestry on 3 November 1912. He attended Southland Boys' High School and did his medical training in Dunedin, qualifying MB ChB in 1939. He was a house-surgeon at Palmerston North Hospital during 1939 and 1940 where he met Grace Stanley, a fellow house-surgeon and they were married in 1940. In 1941, John entered the Army serving first at home as SMO to Linton Camp and later as OC to the Remedial Training Camp in Rotorua. Subsequently he went to the Middle East with the 11th Reinforcements and saw service there until 1945 when he returned to New Zealand. At that time he was DADMS to the 2nd NZEF. He remained briefly in the Territorial Forces until his transfer to the Reserve with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

From 1946 to 1949 he was a visiting medical registrar at Palmerston North Hospital and in 1952 was appointed assistant physician to the Hospital. In 1964 he was also appointed visiting physician to the Awapuni Hospital and retained these appointments until his retirement in 1981. In addition to his hospital appointments, John had a busy consulting medical practice. As a clinician John was meticulous and painstaking. To the patients he was always sympathetic, courteous and kindly, always willing to listen and never seeming to be in a hurry. He had a very sound knowledge of general medicine, excellent clinical judgement and was always willing to do more than his share of work.

Unfortunately, in later years he developed a chronic progressive illness necessitating progressive withdrawal from active practice. He bore this illness with great courage and died peacefully on 14 November 1989. His wife Grace predeceased John in 1978. He is survived by his two daughters, Mrs Janice Quigley of Christchurch and Mrs Wynnis Elder of Nelson.