The Rev. John N. Montgomery

The Rev. John N. Montgomery, December 6, 1916 – January 11, 2011 Resident at Penney Retirement Community since January 2002 The Rev. John Nelson Montgomery was born in Grove City, PA; son of Ralph Edgar and Ruby Chandler Montgomery. He attended the local public schools and graduated from Grove City College and Princeton Seminary. In the fall of 1941, he was ordained clergy in his home church, First Presbyterian Church (USA) in Grove City. After ordination Mr. Montgomery went to his first pastoral assignment as Assistant Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Miami. Soon after arriving in Miami, he met Virginia Gautier, daughter of T. N. and Claire Gautier, part of a pioneer family in Florida and Miami. After a whirlwind romance of six months, John and Virginia were married on June 16, 1942. The couple had been married for 66 years when Virginia died in the fall of 2008. The Rev. Montgomery volunteered in 1943 as a chaplain in the US Navy, serving in active duty with a Construction Battalion (SeaBees) in England and France. Leaving active duty in 1946, Mr. Montgomery served as a Reserve Chaplain until about 1966, rising to a rank of Lt. Commander. After leaving active duty, Mr. Montgomery received a pastoral call to First Presbyterian Church in Green Cove Springs. There was no manse available when the Montgomery’s arrived in April, so they lived at the Penney Farms Retirement Community while a manse was renovated creating an apartment upstairs for the Montgomerys and spaces downstairs for the Sunday School and a Hospitality House for service men. Many Navy personnel were in the Green Cove Springs area as the Navy “mothballed” WW II Navy ships. The Montgomerys drew the servicemen into the fellowship of the church and helped host those who came to the Hospitality House for meals, for a place for socializing and to meet family members who visited from out-of-town. During that time, Mr. Montgomery also gave leadership in various plans for the church, including painting the church, installing new lights and a new gas furnace. The innovative program of The New Life Movement was recommended by Mr. Montgomery and adopted to be used throughout the church program. Several members from the Green Cove Church, including the Goodrich Family and Mrs. Mary Zellner of Penney Farms, have memories of both John and Virginia Montgomery and their leadership. Following his pastorate at First Presbyterian of Green Cove Springs, Mr. Montgomery served a pastorate in Cincinnati and in several cities in Florida, including Ft. Myers, Maitland, and Melbourne. After retirement, Mr. Montgomery served the church in Aruba for about three years. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery's two children, John Nelson Montgomery, Jr, and Claire Virginia Montgomery predeceased their parents. Mr. Montgomery is survived by a brother, the Rev. Dean R. Montgomery of Uniontown, PA. His sister, Margaret Perrine, and brother, Neil Montgomery, predeceased him. There will be a memorial service for Mr. Montgomery on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in Penney Memorial Church in Penney Farms. Burial of Mr. Montgomery’s ashes will be Wednesday, February 2, 2011, in the U. S. Military Cemetery in Bushnell, FL, where his wife’s, son’s and daughter’s ashes are buried. Memorial gifts for Mr. Montgomery may be sent to Penney Retirement Community, Box 555, Penney Farms, FL 32079