Odeal J. Montgomery

Published 12:01 am Sunday, August 24, 2014

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July 8, 1922 – Aug. 17, 2014

FERRIDAY — Services for Odeal J. Montgomery, 92, of Ferriday, who died Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, at Natchez Regional Medical Center, will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Ferriday with the Rev. Eugene Williams officiating.

Burial will follow at the Natchez National Cemetery under the direction of Concordia Funeral Home in Ferriday.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home.

Mrs. Montgomery was born July 8, 1922, in Ferriday, the daughter of James and Truelove Williams Jordan.

Mrs. Montgomery was married to Henry A. Montgomery and to this union no children were born. She loved and helped children all of her life. She touched a number of lives through the schools, churches and the Henry A. Montgomery Foundation and a number of these children have gone on to become productive citizens throughout the country.

Mrs. Montgomery attended Sevier Rosenwald High School; earned a bachelor of science degree from Grambling State University; and a master’s degree from Southern University, plus 30-hours at various universities.

Mrs. Montgomery served as a classroom teacher, principal and supervisor during her educational career. She was affiliated with a number of organizations, including the Henry A. Montgomery Foundation. She was honored by the Governor of Louisiana to serve on the Blue Ribbon Committee for Grambling State University.

In 1980, Mrs. Montgomery was elected to serve on the Ferriday Town Council. She served for 13 years. The last four years, she served as Mayor Pro Tem. From July 1, 1996 to June 30 2000, she served as mayor of Ferriday with pride and dedication, being the first female to serve as mayor.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; one nephew, Tommy Loyd Jr.; four sisters; and five brothers.

Survivors include a number of nieces and nephews, Wanda Carter, Monica Carter, Shuntyal Carter, Trey’on Carter and Haley Carter, all of Ferriday, Tommy Lloyd III of Baton Rouge, Shunda Young of Ruston, La., Dr. Tiffany Lloyd Bullock of Dallas, Dr. Janice Sanchez, Deborah Pipkins, Henry Hines III, Lionel Jordan, all of New Orleans, David Thompson Jr. of Texarkana, Ark., James Hines of Houston, Betty Miles of New York, Joyce Blache of Los Angeles, Nichelle Payne of Natchez; two nieces-in-law, Beatrice Jones of St. Francisville, La., and Gloria Lloyd of Ferriday; and a number of other nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Online condolences may be sent to concordiafuneralhomeinc.com.