Betty Montgomery Cagle went to her everlasting home in Heaven on the morning of December 14, 2023, after a severe illness of two weeks. Betty was born on May 29, l930 in Columbus, MS to the late Ned and Miriam Harvey Montgomery. They lived for several years in Artesia, MS, where her grandfather owned the Artesia General Store. Afterwards, she moved to Jackson, MS where she lived until attending Mississippi State College for Women (MUW), graduating in 1952 with a major in Library Science and a minor in English. She met her husband, Marion Cagle, an MSU student, on a blind date on Friday , Oct. 13, 1951. They married on June 22, 1952, and were married for 70 years, before Marion’s passing on Jan. 20, 2023.
Betty and Marion lived in Tuscaloosa and Mobile, AL before settling in l959 in Tupelo with their children, Libby and Van. Betty and Marion were active members of the First United Methodist Church. Betty was actively involved in Jr. Auxiliary, Castilian Club, DAR, and Saturday Reading Club. She became a librarian of 30 years at the Lee County Library where she took on many roles as children’s librarian, research librarian, and head of the Mississippi Room, often assisting patrons with genealogy and writers/researchers with information about Elvis Presley. She retired from Lee County Library at the age of 81. She was a strong and independent woman who was able to live at her home until she moved to Mitchell Assisted Living in August of 2023. She maintained her independence and mental sharpness until becoming ill the last two weeks of her life. She spent her last several days at Sanctuary Hospice House, where she received excellent care.
A Service of Death and Resurrection will be held at 1 PM Monday, December 18, 2023, from the Sanctuary of First United Methodist Church – Tupelo with Revs. Rusty and Fawn Keen officiating, assisted by Associate Pastor Brad Corban. Steve Holland will deliver the eulogy. The family will receive friends in the Gathering Room one hour prior to the service. Holland Funeral Directors is honored to serve their friends.
Betty is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Marion, and her son, Van (2010).
Survivors include a daughter, Elizabeth (Libby) Cagle; two grandchildren, Kyle Pollard of Starkville and Lindsay Pollard Ball (Tyler) of Madison, MS; two great-grandsons, Carter and Collin; and a host of friends.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church, P. O. 854, Tupelo, MS. 38802, Lee County Library, 219 Madison St., Tupelo, MS. 38804 or to Sanctuary Hospice House, P. O. Box 2177, Tupelo, MS. 38803. Condolences for the family may be left on Betty’s memorial page at hollandfuneraldirectors.com.
