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James William Montgomery, Jr.
July 19, 1927 - November 14, 2022
Jim was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. He lived there with his father, Reverend Dr. J.W. Montgomery and mother, Lora R Montgomery and two older sisters, Lora Lee Parrott and Irma Ruth Schmidt all of which have past away. He described growing up in a parsonage as a very happy childhood.
He leaves behind his wife, Sandra Kendall Montgomeryandadaughter, Cheri Ann Harrison along with a grandson, Michael Harrison (Crystal) and his two great-granddaughters, Eve and Sophia and great-great-grandson Carter. Also a son and a daughter by marriage Taylor and Aileen Wadley.
After the Navy and College and some retail experience, he was asked to manage a new Motor Hotel called The Gerber-haus in Fort Wayne where he was just to have the hotel part but then had to take over the restaurant and bar also. This started a 50 year career in the commercial food service industry. He leased a building in Fort Wayne and started The Carriage Inn Supper Club. and while operating this he obtained the second franchise outside the State of California for International House of Pancakes (now called IHOP) where he built and operated one in Ft. Wayne and another in Toledo, Ohio. He a lso had two restaurants called Betsy Ross Coffee Shops. He had two fast food restaurants in Houston, called Mi-T-Bite. He sold his interests in Ft. Wayne and moved to Houston to be District Manager for General Electric commercial restaurant equipment division. Next he was the Commercial cooking consultant for Houston Lighting and Power. He became a consultant helping food service company’s work out their problems. After this, he became an independent manufacturer’s representative for a number of lines of commercial restaurant equipment and supplies.
After retiring in 2002, he and Sandra moved to Sun City Georgetown where he has been President of the Sertoma Club, active in Sun City Kiwanis, President of his Sunday School class at the First United Methodist Church. Commissioner on the Civil Service Commission for the City of Georgetown Police and Fire Departments for over eleven years and on the Board of Directors of The Caring Place for six years.
A memorial service honoring Jim will be held at 10 a.m., December 8, 2022, at First United Methodist Church Georgetown, 410 East University Avenue, Georgetown, Texas, 78626. Burial Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 11463 State Highway 195, Killeen, Texas, 76542, at 2 p.m.