Frankie B. Montgomery was born on September 23, 1936, as Mary Magdalene Harrison on her parents’ farm in Grady, Alabama. She was the sixth of eight children born to Joe and Mary Lee Harrison. Her siblings were Marie, Clara, Augustus, Charles “Sonny”, Fred, Paul, and Josie. Later in life, upon graduating from high school and obtaining her work permit, she changed her name to Frankie, a name by which she was lovingly known as Frankie B. by family and friends all her life.

Frankie was raised on a 136-acre farm where her parents grew peanuts and cotton among other crops. As a child, she treasured time spent sitting on her Grandpa John’s lap listening to his stories, attending church, and she was never particularly fond of farm work. She served as secretary of her local Sunday school and excelled academically, becoming the valedictorian of Helicon High School at the young age of 16.

Knowing farming was not her destiny, Frankie moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in August of 1953. It was her brother, Augustus Harrison, who brought her to Cleveland and introduced her to Pearl Payton. Pearl welcomed Frankie into her home, becoming a true mother figure who taught her many of the life lessons she would later pass on to her own children. At the age of 17, on March 26, 1955, Frankie married the love of her life, David Montgomery, and began a beautiful life of marriage and family.

Frankie always sought a spiritual home, and after relocating to Cleveland, she found it. She became a devoted member of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was baptized in 1963. She later had the honor of being part of the first integrated convention in Columbus, Georgia. Her faith guided every aspect of her life, and she consistently extended kindness, love, and help to all in need.

Frankie devoted over 30 years of faithful service to MetroHealth as a State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA). She was widely known for her compassion, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to her patients. Never receiving a write-up, she earned numerous awards and accolades throughout her career. She received specialized training in Alzheimer’s care and became one of the first caregivers in MetroHealth’s first Alzheimer’s Unit. So deeply loved by patients and staff alike, she was asked to postpone her retirement and continued working until the age of 70. Caring for others brought her tremendous joy, and she faithfully served thousands of patients through their many trials and tribulations.

Frankie and David were blessed with six children: Deborah, Vernell, David Jr., Dwight, Antoine, and Shenell. Frankie made countless sacrifices for her family, including stepping away from her career for many years to raise her children. Even after returning to work on the third shift, she maintained a tireless routine—preparing her children for school, resting briefly, cooking, picking them up from school, and then returning to work—repeating this cycle day after day for years. Despite it all, she still found time to sew clothing, support extracurricular activities, teach strong work ethics, and, most importantly, instill faith and a relationship with God in her children. She was, and continues to be, a cornerstone of their lives and successes.

In Frankie’s final years, all her children, their spouses, and grandchildren assisted in the coordination of her care, ensuring that she wanted for nothing. They surrounded her with love, comfort, dignity, and devotion—bringing her great joy and an abundance of love in her final years of life. Frankie instilled this scripture into all her children and grandchildren: 

Ephesians 6:2 “Honor your father and mother” — this is the first commandment with a promise — “so that things may go well with you and you may live a long life on the earth.”

Frankie was preceded in death by her beloved parents, Joe and Mary Harrison; her devoted husband of 54 years, David Montgomery Sr.; her siblings, Marie Foley, Clara Winston, Augustus Harrison, Charles Harrison, Willie Fred Harrison and Josie Lawhorn; her son, David Montgomery Jr.; her son-in-law, Bruce Wright;  her granddaughter, Tina Watkins and a host of loving sister and brother-in-laws. 

She leaves to cherish her precious memory, her loving children: Deborah Kemokai-Wright, Vernell (Lawrence) Weeden, Dwight Montgomery, Antoine (Regina) Montgomery, Shenell (Timothy) Hinton, and her stepdaughter, Linda (Fred) Wells. She is also survived by 24 grandchildren: Ndaneh (Jeff) Carr, Sengbe Kemokai, Bruce Wright, Ashunte (Felipe) Claybrooks, Deon (Laura)Weeden, Darnell (McKenzie) Weeden, AlexisMontgomery, Sarah Montgomery, Sydney Provitt, JoeyTutela, Tiffany Tutela, Danny Tutela, Kaylah Hinton, Kendall Hinton, Kameron Hinton, Monica (Lord) Grace, Keisha Wells, Felicia (Charles) Davis, along with 18 great-grandchildren: Robert, Olivia, Sophia, Phillip, Aliya, Eries, Aaron, Ava, Darnell Jr., Georgie, Morgan, Justin, Sean, Chanelle, Izabella, Davina, Jazmyne and Athena.Additionally, she leaves to cherish her memory one brother, Paul Harrison; one brother-in-law, Sammie Montgomery; four sisters-in-law, Lurlene Harrison, Ruth Dunn, Sue Montgomery, and Rachel Montgomery; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, and dear friends.

Honor Frankie’s legacy by making a donation to her Kent State University, Frankie Montgomery Perseverance in Nursing Scholarship, helping students with a passion for helping underserved populations in need.  (Direct link to her scholarship donation form is below).

https://flashes.info/Montgomery

We would like an honorable mention to Hospice of the Western Reserve and Altenheim Shurmer Place, Memory Assisted Living, Strongsville, OH.