Faye R. Montgomery

Memorial services for Faye R. Montgomery were held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, August 30, 2004, at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lubbock with Rev. Davis Price, officiating.  Burial was held at 5:00 p.m. at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Faye entered into the Peaceable Kingdom on August 28, 2004, at Carillion House, Lubbock, where she had been a resident for 23 years.

Faye was born to Homer and Tammie Higgins in Eldorado, Oklahoma, on December 26, 1914.  She married Bill Montgomery on July 1, 1934.  They lived on a farm and ranch in Hall, Donley, and Briscoe Counties for 39 years.  She resided in Clarendon and Amarillo before moving to Lubbock in 1980, where she was a member of Covenant Presbyterian.  Prior to that, she was a member of the First Presbyterian in Clarendon for 41 years and First Presbyterian in Amarillo for six years.

As a faithful member of the church community, she was an avid student of Christian and social issues.  In her thirst for knowledge, she became a self-taught scholar and patron of libraries, and she treasured her richly diverse and vast collection of books.  Faye was a gifted writer and poet.  She was an active volunteer and tireless advocate for many meaningful causes, particularly those that championed the rights of the oppressed and promoted places including Opportunity School for Underprivileged Children, the Overground Railroad for Central American Refugees, Sunday School teacher, and Bible study leader.  Faye endowed the Shalom Fund in memory of her son, William Grady Montgomery, to serve God’s peace and justice in all dimensions by nurturing inner peace and personal growth and promoting interpersonal and community relations.

She was preceded in death by her parents, son, and sisters Nina Lindley of Lubbock and Bonnie Mitchell of Baytown.

Faye is survived by daughters JoAnne Moore and husband James of Canyon Lake, Texas; and Sherry Semrad and husband James of Pine, Arizona; and grandchildren Terri Truitt Griffiths, Tanya Puroff, Melissa, Matt, and Michelle Semrad; six great grandchildren; one great great granddaughter; and three sisters, Juanita McAnear of Clarendon, Lee Perkins of Durant, Oklahoma, and Connie Holland of Turkey.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that gifts honoring Faye’s memory be given to The Shalom Fund at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Lubbock to bring shalom into the lives of others.