Faith Kendall Montgomery

Faith Kendall (Bailey) Montgomery (82) passed away on February 23, 2024 after a brief illness.

Kendall was born on May 16, 1941 in New York City. Her parents were Dr. F. Randolph Bailey (a Clinical Professor of Medicine at New York’s Presbyterian Hospital) and Constance (Gibboney) Bailey. Through her childhood, she loved sailing with her family and running amok around Quissett Harbor on Cape Cod. During the school year, she studied at The Brearley School and Miss Porter’s School for Girls.

After graduating from Wellesley College in 1963 with a degree in History, Kendall decided to move to Greece where she found a position supporting the family of a U.S. Diplomat. While there, she formed a close relationship with Tapley Bennett, his wife Margaret, and their 5 children. She and the Bennett family remained close for the rest of her life.

In 1964, Mr. Bennett was appointed to be the Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, and Kendall moved with the family. There, she met a kind, nerdy young Foreign Service Officer from Texas. After he was reassigned, even the sudden arrival of 800 marines couldn’t make her forget him and a courtship ensued. In 1966, she married Robert J. “Bob” Montgomery, Jr. and joined him in Mexico City.

Together, Bob and Kendall traveled the world while raising their three children. They served in Mexico City, Canberra, Prague, Ottawa, and Washington, DC, and took advantage of opportunities to travel to many other countries. Kendall loved Foreign Service Life and joined the embassy in Ottawa, serving as the first Community Liaison Officer there.

After being widowed in 1989, Kendall continued supporting the Foreign Service family. She spent years with the Family Liaison Office, eventually becoming the director. After the East African Embassy Bombings, she was asked to start the Office of Casualty Assistance which she ran until her retirement in 2007.

In retirement, she continued traveling the world, volunteering, and making new friends.

Kendall was predeceased by her parents, her husband, and her dog (Vaclav). She is survived by her sister (Thankful), her three children (Cal, Emily, and Robert), her grandson (Nicholas), and more wonderful friends than we could possibly list.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Bethesda, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in her memory be made to The Theatre Lab Send a Kid to Camp Scholarship Fund at theatrelab.org.