Son's severe injury latest blow for mom who took in 13 kids

When Dixie Montgomery awoke May 2, she knew it was going to be a tough day.

When her husband, Richard Montgomery, was killed four months earlier in a car collision on Highway 2, she had become a single parent to 17 children, including 13 adopted and foster children.

But she didn't expect the ring of a telephone would make the day much worse. The caller wanted her to know that her second-oldest son, John, 28, was being airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

While at a job site as a painter, Montgomery had fallen from a ladder and suffered shattered skull bones and severe trauma to his brain. The owner of the house heard the crash and called paramedics.

"I was a little shook up," she said. "Then I just said, 'OK,' took another deep breath and spent a whole lot of time on my knees. I knew I could trust my God."

For the Montgomery family, known in Monroe circles for its deep Christian faith, the second accident has been a blow, but nothing it can't overcome, Dixie Montgomery said. Such peace and perseverance have amazed church members.

"Based on human nature alone, people have been skeptical that she's doing as well as she says she is," said Aaron Day, an outreach pastor at Cascade Community Church who has worked closely with the family since the January collision. "But they've also been encouraged by what they see. It's attributed to the family's faith that their home is in heaven."

John Montgomery's first few days in the hospital were tenuous, friends said. He was in a coma, and doctors were unsure if he would live. Slowly he awoke, at first delirious, later able to recognize faces but unable to remember how the accident had happened.

Now at home, Montgomery faces a long recovery, yet doctors are pleased with the progress he's made already.

"We're hopeful that John will recover completely, but doctors really can't say," Dixie Montgomery said. "He will have to have some outpatient therapy."

After the death of Richard Montgomery, called Dick by friends and family, the first question was how to support the large family, Day said.

The Monroe community poured out its support through a series of fundraisers. A memorial fund was set up. More than $5,000 was raised at Dick Montgomery's funeral.

Church leaders now hope the community again will help the family with medical expenses and other needs. Local construction teams have been refurbishing an office building in Sultan that the Montgomery family owns and hopes to use for rental income. Still, much needs to be done, Day said.

Dixie Montgomery is grateful for all of the support and said she'll trust God to lead her and her family, as always.

During the 1980s, the couple spent two years as missionaries in Haiti and felt called to help other children upon their return. They raised 13 through adoption and long-term foster care, alongside their own four kids. The children range in age from 11 to their mid-30s.

"My perspective is that God puts the pressure on sometimes, purifies us like gold in fire," Dixie Montgomery said. "But instead of pushing our family away, this has simply drawn me closer."

Christopher Schwarzen: 425-783-0577 or cschwarzen@seattletimes.com