Phyllis Sponberg Montgomery

Phyllis Sponberg Montgomery was born on July 11, 1952, in Russell, Kansas, to Raymond Lindell Sponberg, of Manor, Texas, and Catherine Anne Brassel, of Ossining, New York. She died at her home in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sunday, November 23, 2025, after a yearlong battle with lymphoma.

Phyllis was raised in Paul’s Valley, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Psychology. Her dependability and durability were shaped by the Midwestern plains – a landscape that taught her to live with quiet strength and to value what lasts. Often remembered for her brilliant red hair, Phyllis lived up to the redhead stereotype: headstrong and independent. After college, she earned her pilots license and lived in Aspen, Colorado, with her sister before moving to Alaska – determined to see “the last frontier.” When a man got handsy at a bar, she dumped a pitcher of beer on his head. Her bravado caught the eye of a young Army Sergeant watching nearby, to whom she declared, “If you want to dance with me, you can start by dancing with that mop.” He did. And they went on to share forty-six years of marriage, living in Texas, Maryland, Rhode Island, and North Carolina together.

Words were never her preferred language. She spoke through actions instead. She cared for a wide circle of friends, relatives, and in-laws, attending to details that others overlooked. Her memory for birthdays and special occasions was remarkable, and she chose gifts that made others feel seen. True to her preference for working behind the scenes, she served as an event coordinator for three decades. During her seventeen years at the Asheville School, she hosted a baby shower for every expectant mother and made sure that every member of the maintenance crew received their favorite birthday treat each year.

Phyllis loved the Colorado mountains. Some of her most cherished memories were the summers she spent there with her family, attending the local rodeo and the Fourth of July parade in Woodland Park. Though she spent the latter half of her life in the East and grew to love the Blue Ridge and Adirondack mountains, she found them a bit too small and damp to inspire her the way Colorado did. An amateur painter, Phyllis’s watercolors often drew upon her imagination of the West.

Phyllis’s deepest devotion belonged to her sons, Gregory and Tyler. To them, she was like the Giving Tree from the beloved children’s book: a steady source of provision and disregard for her own needs. She once drove eight hours to watch their Saturday-morning football game, only to turn around and drive home the same day. Though she was frugal in nearly every part of life, she spared nothing when it came to her boys; all her resources and energy flowed toward them. She rarely used words to express her affection, but she didn’t need to. Her love was palpable and unmistakable.

Phyllis is survived by her husband, Archibald Roger Montgomery, IV, of Asheville, North Carolina; her son, Gregory Packard Montgomery and his wife, Kaziah Haviland Montgomery, of Waterbury, Vermont; her son, Tyler Lindell Montgomery and his wife, Mary Crowers Montgomery, of Houston, Texas; her four granddaughters: Matilda Rose Montgomery, Grace Bane Montgomery, Elowen Kay Montgomery, and Hallie Packard Montgomery. She is also survived by her sister, Deborah Sponberg Wetzler of Golden, Colorado.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, in Boyd Chapel on the Asheville School campus at 2:00 p.m., with reception to follow. There will be a graveside burial on July 25, 2026, at the Church of the Ascension in Saranac Inn, New York.

Groce Funeral Home on Patton Ave. is assisting the family.