'Gomery' to celebrate 90th

Photo by Janelle Jessen Emily Montgomery sat in her cozy living room holding the Bible where she keeps her family records. She has nine children, 22 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
Photo by Janelle Jessen Emily Montgomery sat in her cozy living room holding the Bible where she keeps her family records. She has nine children, 22 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

DECATUR -- Emily Montgomery has seen a lot of change since she came to Decatur as a young mother and wife in 1950.

The young woman who grew up on Staten Island, N.Y., found herself living in rural Arkansas. When she moved in, the family home didn't have plumbing, all the roads in Decatur were dirt and the constable rode a horse.

Over the years, Emily, who will turn 90 on Jan. 15, raised several generations of Decatur children in her home daycare, along with her nine offspring. She also watched as the town was transformed into what it is today, recalling when the highways were paved, natural gas came to town and the Crystal Lake Airport was built.

Emily and her husband, Bill Montgomery, who retired after seven years in the military, first moved to Texas and then to Arkansas seeking a climate that would be beneficial for his health.

They bought a small house -- where Emily's youngest son, Bill, still lives -- and an 80 acre farm along Roller Ave. for $3,000. At the time their land was mostly orchards and extended all the way from Roller Ave. down to Crystal Lake. Like most of the farms in the area, the Montgomerys' land grew fruit and strawberries.

For a while Emily's husband's health was better, but then he began to decline and had a surgery to remove his voice-box, leading to his local nickname of "Whispering Bill." He developed a rare form of brain cancer which eventually took his life at the age of 43.

Emily's parents, Raymond and Emily Connett, moved from New York to live next door and help her care for her growing family, her son Bill said. Emily's mother was a professionally-trained concert pianist and a graduate of Juilliard in New York. She set to work giving local children piano lessons and organizing a Christmas play on top of the bluffs at Crystal Lake.

The farm was very self-sufficient, Melvin Montgomery, Emily's son, said. The farm had dairy cows and chickens, as well as fruit and produce.

Emily's daughter, Janet Yates, remembers her mother outside under the trees with her first washing machine, washing clothes for her nine children.

After Emily's husband died, taking care of her children and the farm was so much work she couldn't afford to get a job outside her home. Ever resourceful, she opened a daycare in her house.

She cut the legs off a card table to create pre-school sized furniture and charged $1 a day for her services.

Her eyes sparkle when she talks about the children she helped raise. Many still live in the area and have grown to be successful members of the community.

Emily recalled the children called her "Gomery."

"People said my children wouldn't eat 'till they said grace," she said.

She operated the daycare for about 25 years, taking in up to nine children age 2 and up. Some would just be dropped off for a few hours while their parents were shopping and others would come everyday while their parents were at work.

"All the children she raised turned out to be good people," Janet said. "The basics were there, honesty, love."

Emily loves to run into former charges now that they are all grown up.

"It's just a thrill when they come back to visit," Emily said.

Emily's nine children have blessed her with 22 grandchildren, 52 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren. Between her nine offspring and the children she helped raise in her daycare, Emily made a lasting impact on Decatur.

The community is invited to celebrate Emily's 90th birthday. A reception will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Jan. 18 at the Decatur Assembly of God Church. Instead of gifts, guests are asked to bring memories and stories to share.

General News on 01/14/2015