Floyd C. Montgomery, Jr. died at Moravian Manor retirement community in Lititz, PA on August 14, 2021, at the age of 85, after a battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and metastatic prostate cancer.
Born and raised on a farm in Illinois, Floyd lived for more than 50 years in Lancaster County, where he was a passionate advocate for teachers throughout a 24-year career with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. He was a devoted teacher, leader, and mentor who often heard in his retirement years from grateful students, colleagues, and educators.
Floyd served on the board of the United Way, the Counsel for Drug and Alcohol Abuse and his national union’s executive committee. He expressed his commitment to equality and justice in the way he lived his life and in frequent letters to the editor.
Floyd was a kind and loving man, an irrepressible storyteller and lover of puns, a skilled woodworker and rose grower, a competitive bridge player, and an avid fisherman, outdoorsman, and boater who loved the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. He raised his children with a reverence for nature.
A talented musician, Floyd graduated with honors from Northern Illinois University and directed state championship high school bands. Over the years, he shared his love of music with many congregations as an organist, choir director, and singer.
He moved to Pennsylvania in 1968 after receiving a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Atlanta University. Before taking a job with PSEA, he was a high school guidance counselor in Harrisburg for three years.
Floyd is survived by Joy Montgomery, his beloved wife of 65 years; children L’Aura, Peter, and David; their spouses Lane, Dan, and Sharon; grandchildren Brandon and Jared; six great-grandchildren; and his dog, Little Dude. His sister Alice passed away on the same day he did; they were preceded in death by their brother David and their parents Floyd Sr. and Olive.
In accordance with Floyd’s wishes, there will be no memorial service. Friends are encouraged to share memories on his Facebook page and invited to make a contribution in his honor to Hospice & Community Care or the charity of their choice.