By Matt de Simone
When asked how it feels to be turning 100 years old, Virginia Montgomery didn’t hesitate.
“I don’t feel any different,” she said with a smile.
Montgomery will celebrate her 100th birthday Feb. 27, with a party planned Feb. 21 in Buchanan. After nearly a century in the community, she remains one of its most recognizable and beloved residents.
Her niece, Tammy Coffey, who helped arrange the interview and frequently chimed in from a nearby chair, described her aunt in an email as “a pillar in the community all of her life.” Over the decades, Montgomery has worked various jobs, managed a well-known dress shop, served her church faithfully, and stayed active in civic and social groups.
Looking back over her life in Buchanan, Montgomery summed it up simply: “Just having a good life.”
Montgomery was born in 1926 in the small community of Lyle, between Buchanan and Eagle Rock, at a time when roads into the area were limited. As Coffey explained, family members sometimes crossed the river by boat because there was no easy access by road. By about age 9 or 10, Montgomery moved to the Cherry Tree Bottom area, where she has lived for roughly 90 years.
Growing up, Buchanan was busier than it is today, she said. The town once supported three meat markets and multiple grocery stores.
“It’s not like it used to be,” Montgomery said. “We had plenty going on.”
As a girl, she recalled sitting in a friend’s new Ford on Friday nights along Main Street, waving at passers-by. “It was fancy at the time,” she said.
She also remembered riding the train to Clifton Forge to visit grandparents. The conductor would let them board near the crossing and return later in the day. It was, she said, “a nice-fashioned trip.”
Life looked different in other ways. The family heated with coal and relied on lanterns and candles for light. At one point, they had a two-seat outhouse — something Montgomery jokingly said made them feel “rich.”
Montgomery’s work life began early. She worked at a soda fountain in a local drugstore while in school. Later, she spent nine years at Burlington Industries in Glasgow before moving into retail management.
She is best known for managing The Dress House in Buchanan, a storefront connected to the former Kenrose dress factory. Coffey described it as “the ‘it’ place” where Montgomery “dressed the women of Buchanan.”
Montgomery later worked in Roanoke for Halmode Apparel, but The Dress House cemented her reputation. Photographs from the era show her in coordinated church attire such as gloves, matching hats and carefully chosen accessories— hallmarks of a time when Sunday best meant something special.
At 13, Montgomery became a member of Buchanan Baptist Church, where she still attends services. She sang in the choir from her teenage years “until I got too old,” she said, and also served as church secretary, taught Sunday School and participated in the Ladies Circle Club.
Music extended beyond the church. She was active for years in the Botetourt County Chorus. Her sisters teased her about her singing ability.
“They said I couldn’t carry a tune,” Montgomery said with a laugh.
She sang anyway.
When asked what her faith has meant to her over the years, her answer was direct: “Live for the Lord. He’ll take care of you.” It is also the advice she offers younger generations in the community: “Live for the Lord.”
Montgomery is one of four siblings— a brother, two sisters, and a stepsister. The sisters were inseparable and known for their sense of humor. They played practical jokes on one another during trips and outings, sometimes arranging for embarrassing gifts to be opened at restaurants or telling staff it was someone’s birthday when it wasn’t.
“They had the best time,” Coffey said.
The family also shared a party-line telephone with neighbors. Picking up the receiver sometimes meant listening in… or being listened to. Montgomery admitted she occasionally listened in on her niece’s conversations herself.
“You could hear it click,” Coffey recalled. “You’d say, ‘Are you on the phone?’ And they’d say, ‘No,’ and then click.”
Now nearing 100, Montgomery still drives short distances, participates in the Red Hat Society and remains active in church. She enjoys reading, traveling when able and spending time with loved ones. She and her sisters traveled extensively over the years, including a memorable trip to Hawaii that she counts among her favorites.
Her late husband, Calvin, was a cattle farmer. Montgomery balanced farm responsibilities with church and community life, often changing from Sunday attire into work clothes to help as needed. She is also known among family and friends for her pound cakes.
When asked the secret to her longevity, she again kept it simple.
“I’ve just had a good life,” she said.
As friends and family gather this month to celebrate her milestone birthday, Montgomery hopes to be remembered as someone who worked hard, believed in the Lord and was “a good friend.”
