Beth Ann Montgomery Fax

On August 7, 1966, Beth Ann Montgomery entered the world, and it was never the same. The only child of Joyce Willingham Montgomery and Richard D. Montgomery, Beth was born with a smile that personified Christ’s “light that shines in the darkness.” It was her smile, sense of humor, the way she could lift the darkness around her with the joy that abided deep in her soul that made her unforgettable at the first meeting.

It was no surprise that Beth, the oldest of the second generation of Dalton cousins, became adored by family and friends alike. Joyce and Beth had a bond that transcended words, and still, Beth’s parents and grandparents shared her with a village that claimed her as their own. She was everyone’s Beth Ann, Bethie, or Beth. Everyone always wanted to know, “Is Beth coming?” The memories and stories are endless of Beth’s joy, helping hand, and sense of humor, leaving an imprint on the lives of so many. Quite frankly, we’re not really sure how Beth made everyone feel like they were her “best” or her “favorite.”

A native of Atlanta, GA, and a 1983 graduate of Atlanta’s storied Frederick Douglass High School, Beth was unassuming and deeply thoughtful. She had a gift for showing up. She had a way of telling the truth in love that people found both funny and convicting. People flocked to her “work hard, play hard” way of being in the world.

After high school, Beth matriculated at Hampton University, where she and her cousin, Ellen, were inseparable. While at Hampton, Beth pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. For the rest of her life, Beth remained a loyal alum of Hampton, line sister, and friend.

While working in Minnesota, Beth met the love of her life, George Fax. George and Beth shared a fairytale love and life together. They found in each other true, faithful, and supportive friends. Their boys, Ian and Noah, will forever be the center of their universe. Even as they found ways to work hard in their careers and make their boys their priority, “My Beth” and “Faxman” centered their own love in their life together; it was how they endured the best of times and the worst of times - together - as a team. Beth would never be found far away from George and the boys; she was always ready to be home.

Beth was no stranger to the hard things in life. With abundant grace and her patented sense of humor, Beth endured the illnesses and deaths of her beloved cousins, Claudette and Celeste, and her bestie mother, Joyce; the devastating deaths of both of her parents; the care and death of her beloved grandmother, Doris Dalton Willingham, and so much more. She would often exercise her “introvert card” and draw deeply into her faith in Jesus Christ to see her through. When she was watching “Steel Magnolias,” listening to her mother’s favorite songs, studying her GriefShare work, or hunkered down in her bathtub, we knew she needed a minute to recharge.

When Beth received her own cancer diagnosis, she approached it like everything else before - armed with faith, knowledge, George, the boys, close family and friends, her dog (“my girl I never had”) Princess, her love of travel and experiences, that smile, and her humor. In her last months, Beth would often say, “I know that God has a plan for me, and I know that it is good!”

Beth Ann fought the good fight, and she won her race. On her own terms and in her own way, Beth returned triumphantly to her God and her Mom on March 14, 2020. Beth’s legacy is one of love and laughter; hope and endurance; joy and faith. Her husband, George; her sons, Ian and Noah; her dear Dalton and Montgomery cousins; her family; her friends; and her Dell family will never forget the smile that could lift the darkness and the laugh that could carry you away.