[2] On September 20, 1941, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, Mass., he married Constance Roberta Dean Armitage of San Francisco, who became President of the National Federation of Republican Women from 1972-1975 and a leader in the Conservative movement.

She first learned fencing while a student at the University of California, Berkeley, later completing a Masters in Arabic and English Literature and a PHd in Art History.

Mrs. Armitage competed in national fencing contests, ranking as high as sixth place, and represented the United States in team world championships.

[4] In a span of twenty-eight years, Armitage competed in six Olympics, 1928–36 and 1948–56, only taking a break for World War II.

[12] Armitage competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in spite of severe chemical burns on his right hand suffered in January of that year.

[3][15] He died on March 14, 1972, at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, after being admitted two days earlier.

His widow Constance Dean Armitage who he married in 1941, was President of the National Federation of Republican Women, and an art history professor at Wofford College in Spartanburg, where she served over ten years as the fencing coach.

The Armitage Plant of Deering-Milikin Inc. in Spartanberg County, South Carolina, was named in his honor and opened in December 1971.

[3][16] The New York Times called Armitage “one of the greatest fencing champions in modern competition,” and said that he had “probably participated in more Olympic Games than any other American athlete.”[16]