Honoring Megan’s memory: Family to honor daughter's memory with 2 events

It’s been almost two years since Susann Montgomery-Clark lost her daughter Megan Montgomery, who was killed by her estranged husband Dec. 1, 2019, at age 31.

Montgomery-Clark and her husband Rod moved to Brook Highland from the Ross Bridge community in Hoover after Megan’s death. She said their family is just now at a place where they can talk about their daughter’s passing.

Instead of focusing on the way her daughter died, Montgomery-Clark wants to focus on how she lived. She and her husband created the Megan Montgomery Domestic Violence Prevention Fund through the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. It provides grants to area nonprofits to help educate students in high school and college to stop domestic violence before it happens.

“That’s what we want to change, to make sure that young women get the knowledge they need to protect themselves,” Montgomery-Clark said. “We don’t have the expertise to do the education, but there are nonprofits out there that do. We want to educate women about healthy and unhealthy relationships.”

In one of Megan’s last posts, she said “I want to help women know the warning signs so they can get out before it’s too late.” Her mother knows she would have done that, so that is why she and Megan’s stepfather are doing it.

“A lot of nonprofits provide services for victims who have already been hurt, and what we want to do is help women avoid being hurt for the very first time,” she said. “Prevention is where the gap in services is.”

To honor Megan, her family is hosting two events in October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The second annual Pet Blessing to celebrate St. Francis of Assisi Day and in memory of Megan will take place at Megan’s alma mater, John Carroll Catholic High School, on Oct. 2 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.

Montgomery-Clark said St. Francis was known for his love of animals and his ability to connect with them, and Megan was blessed with that same ability and was devoted to animal welfare. She was very involved with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and was one of the founding members of their young professionals board.

The pet blessing will be in the outdoor parking lot in the back of the school at 300 Lakeshore Parkway. The event is open to the public, and blessings will be performed by Deacon Douglass Moorer from Our Lady of Fatima and Deacon Rick DiGiorgio from Prince of Peace. A drive-thru option will be available for non-leashed animals.

Later in the month, the Megan Montgomery Memorial 5K run/walk will be Oct. 16 at 8 a.m. in Homewood. The event is hosted by ERA Realty, where Megan’s father Johnny is an agent. Funds raised from both events will go directly to Megan’s fund.

Montgomery-Clark said they are working to continue what Megan started. She was writing a book before she passed, and they are having it finished.

“We can’t give up because Megan wouldn’t want us to anyway,” she said. “It helps us with our healing. The grief will go on for the rest of our lives, but it does help because we know to make something good come out of the most horrendous evil we can imagine. In good moments, we know we are doing the right thing.”

To donate to Megan’s fund, visit cfbham.org/megans-fund.