A family who has been wearing Old Navy’s flag T-shirts every Fourth of July for the past 20 years is continuing to honor the tradition following the death of their beloved matriarch.
It all started with 10 members of the Vogel-Armstrong family wearing the shirts in 1998, and the tradition has carried on every year as the clan continues to grow with spouses, kids, and pets.
The matching Old Navy shirts made for a great photo-op, and the Michigan-based family happily posed together in the brand’s classic white T-shirts featuring a print of the American flag for the first time twenty years ago today.
Start of it all: The Vogel-Armstrong family has been wearing matching Old Navy flag T-shirts on the Fourth of July every year since 1998 (pictured)
Making memories: The Michigan-based family poses for photos in their matching tees during their annual July 4th get-together
Over the years, the Vogel-Armstrongs have posed in navy, light blue, and even tie-dye versions of the Old Navy holiday top at their annual get-together.
When the family’s matriarch Peggy Armstrong was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer in 2012, she honored their tradition by crafting a homemade quilt made entirely of the family’s past Old Navy flag tees.
The patriotic quilt features a blue and white polka dot border and a red center with rows of each T-shirt that they’ve worn over the years.
The most recent photo of the family shows them wearing the brand’s navy American flag shirts while posing in front of the quilt that Peggy had made with love.
Throwback: The family posed with their pets while wearing light blue Old Navy flag T-shirts and tanks in 2006
Long time ago: In 2006, they donned white flag tees and tank tops for their holiday celebration
Decade ago: The family wore red, white, and blue tie-dye versions of the shirt in 2008
Looking back: In 2010, they opted for a navy version of the popular Fourth of July top
The family plans on continuing their annual tradition this year in honor of Peggy, who died in 2017.
Old Navy shared the family’s story on Facebook ahead of the Fourth of July while posting photos of them wearing the shirts over the years.
‘For decades, the Vogel-Armstrong family has worn Old Navy flag tees as part of their 4th of July celebrations,’ the brand captioned the images. ‘What began as a little photo-op eventually morphed into something much, much bigger.’
Ernie Vogel took to the comments section of the post to share how his family’s tradition first started.
Treasure: When their matriarch Peggy Armstrong (top left) was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer in 2012, she paid tribute to their tradition by making a quilt out of all the shirts
Collection: The patriotic quilt features a blue and white polka dot border and a red center with rows of each T-shirt that they’ve worn over the years
Paying tribute: The most recent photo of the family shows them wearing the brand’s navy American flag shirts while posing in front of the quilt that Peggy had made with love
‘This all began as a way to differentiate us from the lake neighbors during 4th of July competitions,’ he explained.
‘Watermelon-spitting contests, best karaoke routine, Euchre tournaments, you name it! It truly was the best of times!’
The heartwarming post inspired others to share photos of their families rocking the tees over the years.
‘Yep, been doing this since my babies were small,’ Abbey Moulaison wrote.
‘This is our 15th year with our matching Old Navy shirts!’ Jessica Petkus Coller added.