Jane Peel Montgomery

Jane was born on February 11, 1936 in Houston, Texas. She attended The Kinkaid School at the original Richmond campus graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1953 at the age of 17. She attended Rice University then transferred to Pembroke College of Brown University graduating Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1957. Following graduation, she married Donald Holman Gaucher whom she had met while studying at Rice. Jane and Don lived in New York and Connecticut before settling in Houston to raise their growing family. They made their home in Tanglewood and Pirate’s Beach, Galveston. They were members of The Houston Racquet Club, The Houston Club, The River Oaks Country Club, The Galveston Artillery Club, The Galveston Country Club, The Carribee Dance Club, The Sarabande Dance Club, The Terpsichore Dance Club, The Allegro Dance Club and The Knights of Momus. After Don’s death, Jane married Claude Montgomery with whom she shared nine wonderful years prior to his death and gained a loving stepdaughter, Lisa. Claude and Jane were members of The Briar Club.

Jane was a member of The Junior League of Houston, The Brown Thumb Garden Club (former president), The Antique Study Group (co-founder and former president), Bayou Bend Docents, Brown University Alumni Club and The Kinkaid School Alumni Board. In 2018, Jane was awarded The Outstanding Alumni Service Award from The Kinkaid School for her devotion to and hard work for Kinkaid throughout her life.

In her professional years, Jane was the Manager of the Bride and Groom Registry at Bering’s Gifts where she was proud to have started the Bride and Groom Registry. For nine years Jane helped countless engaged couples plan their weddings and future homes together. For an additional four years, she was Assistant Manager at Pavillon Christofle in the Galleria continuing to help couples plan their wedding registries by organizing Christofle’s first Bride and Groom Registry.

Jane was a proud member of Christ Church Cathedral for 19 years. She considered Christ Church her first and only spiritual home nurturing her soul beyond all expectations. Her most cherished moments in the past five years of her life were studying books in the Dean’s book club.

She is survived by her brother Theodore Heyck and his husband David Rambo of Los Angeles, California; elder daughter Susan Gaucher Merrill of Houston, Texas; younger daughter Beverly Gaucher of Washington, District of Columbia; granddaughter Jennifer Merrill of San Marcos, Texas; stepdaughter Lisa Larkin Montgomery of Houston, Texas; and many cousins.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Jane's honor be directed to the Christ Church Cathedral Endowment Fund, 1117 Texas Avenue, Houston, Texas 77002.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.earthmanbellaire.com for the Montgomery family.