Richard Wilson Montjoy

Richard Wilson Montjoy

• Richard Wilson Montjoy was born on 6 July 1909 in Greenwood, Leflore County, Mississippi.
• He married Jule Sellers, daughter of William Leon Sellers, on 20 January 1951 in Montgomery County, Alabama.
• Richard Wilson Montjoy became a widower at the 23 August 1972 death of his wife Jule Sellers.
• Richard Wilson Montjoy died on 12 June 2007 at age 97 in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, at Mississipi Baptist Medical Center.
• He was interred at Lakewood Memorial Park, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi.
• The following appeared on 14 June 2007 in The Clarion-Ledger: Services for Richard Wilson Montjoy, 97, of Madison, will be held on Saturday, June 16, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 5400 Old Canton Road, Jackson, preceded by visitation at the church at 10:00 a.m.
       Mr. Montjoy, a Greenwood native, died in his sleep on Tuesday, June 12, at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center. Mr. Montjoy was born on July 6, 1909, the son of Gideon Montjoy, a prominent businessman and riverboat captain, and Louise Hemingway Montjoy. He was a graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, lettered in tennis, and was captain of the University's tennis team. He subsequently served the U.S. Army in the Pacific theatre of World War II.
       After earning an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, Mr. Montjoy entered the J.C. Penney Company management training program. His career as a J.C.
       Penney manager spanned nearly four decades and included stores in Panama City and Tampa, Florida; Montgomery, Alabama; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and Jackson. Mr. Montjoy was active in numerous community groups, serving in leadership positions in the Rotary Club, the Country Club of Jackson, and the Mississippi Retail Merchants Association; as a member of the vestry at St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral; and as board member of the former Mississippi Bank. An avid sportsman, until very recently he played golf, fished, and hunted on a regular basis. He particularly enjoyed engaging in these activities from the base of the family vacation home in Perdido Key, Florida. A gourmet cook, Mr. Montjoy and his wife, artist Merle Berry Tennyson Montjoy, were enthusiastic participants in the La Comida dining group, as well as in the Holiday Club, Seventy-Five Club, and Calliope Club dance organizations.
       Mr. Montjoy was predeceased by his first wife, Jule Sellers Seibels Montjoy; a daughter, Rebecca Montjoy; and a grandson, Bobby Jackson. In addition to his wife, he is survived by four children and their spouses -- Robert Emmet Seibels III (Cindy) of Montgomery, Alabama; Jule Seibels Northup (Fred) of Atlanta, Georgia; Louise Montjoy Lathem (Chuck) of Dallas, Texas; and Carol Montjoy Jackson (Bill) of Montgomery, Alabama; nine grandsons and their spouses – Emmet (Faith), William (Virginia), and Ryan (Mary Katherine) Seibels; Fred and Temple (Dalis) Northup; Wilson Lathem; and Will, Troy, and Sellers Jackson; and two great-grandsons, Res and William Seibels. The family would like to express its particular gratitude to Mr. Montjoy's namesake and nephew, Richard Wilson Montjoy II of Jackson, for his selfless and caring attention to his uncle's well-being.
       Mr. Montjoy's son-in-law, the Very Reverend Frederick Bowen Northup of Atlanta, will officiate at the service, assisted by the Very Reverend John Stone Jenkins, former Dean of St. Andrew's Cathedral. Mr. Montjoy's nephews – Lynn Hemingway Montjoy, Jr. of Vista, California; Paul Dyche Montjoy III of Diamondhead; Robert Sabin Montjoy of New Orleans, Louisiana; Richard Wilson Montjoy II; the Reverend Gid Montjoy IV of Annapolis, Maryland; and William Wright Montjoy of Tallahassee, Florida and Bogota, Colombia – will serve as pallbearers. Graveside services will be held at Lakewood Memorial Park under the direction of Wright and Ferguson Funeral Home.
       In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to St. Andrew's Cathedral, 305 E. Capitol Street, Jackson 39201, or the University of Mississippi Foundation, P.O. Box 249, University, Mississippi 38677.

• Last Edited: 25 Jun 2016