Elizabeth “Barbara” Riggs Montgomery of Mystic, died on May 25, 2018 at age 75 from cardiopulmonary disease. Barbara was the youngest child of Imogen E. (Gorham) Riggs and Major George O. Riggs. She is survived by her husband, Richard “Monk” Montgomery, and three children, Katherine (Sean) Archambault, Benjamin (Sarita Chourey), and Margaret (Katie) Montovan, for all of whom she knit sweaters. Barbara is warmly remembered by her brother Anthony (Garland) Riggs, grandchildren Sydney and Annie Archambault and Theodore “Tate” Montovan, and niece Elizabeth.
Born July 5, 1942 in Lancaster, PA, Barbara was a self-described army brat who lived in several states before attending and graduating from high school in Glastonbury, CT. She attended the University of Connecticut and then worked in multiple institutions for emotionally disturbed children. She married Monk in 1971, and they lived in the Mystic area thereafter, including a summer tent camping while saving for their first home purchase. She taught and tutored English as a second language, in the process learning to make delicious wontons. She volunteered with a women’s shelter and hotline, was an active member of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in New London for more than 40 years and served on the Groton Board of Education. She enjoyed playing bridge, solving crosswords, and watching UConn Women’s Basketball. She was a lover of cats and dogs and a feeder of songbirds.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, June 23 at 4:00 p.m., at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 19 Jay St., New London, CT.
Memorial donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to Safe Futures, formerly the Women’s Center of SE CT.
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