Pastor commits suicide in front of pleading son one year after wife’s death
A suburban Illinois pastor has shot and killed himself inside of his Matteson home. Pastor Ed Montgomery’s pleading son and mother begged him not to take his life on Saturday, but the grief due to the loss of his wife overcame him.
Montgomery and his wife Prophetess Jackie Montgomery had both served at the Full Gospel Christian Assemblies International Church in Hazel Crest, Ill. Jackie Montgomery passed away last December after suffering from a brain aneurysm.
“He was pretty much saying he heard his wife’s voice and footsteps and things like that, and he just was having a hard time. So he ended up shooting himself,” said Sandy Davis, who explained she was Jackie Montgomery’s childhood friend, as well as a close friend of the Montgomery family.
“It’s just heartbreaking, you feel for the family. The Ed that I know, he would have never wanted to leave his family, but I guess just the depression, I can’t speak on, but it’s just something. The way he loved his family I guess his heart was so broken that he loved Jackie more, so I don’t know. It’s just hard to grasp. I don’t know what to make of it,” said Davis.
Police confirmed the death as one that “appears to have been a suicide,” but the ruling can not officially be concluded until lab results return. Davis said Montgomery had lost interest in the church after his wife passed away. The couple leaves behind two children, Trent and Mikia and three God-children.
Our condolences go out to family and friends of Ed and Jackie Montgomery during this time.
If you or someone you know are displaying signs of depression or suicide, there is help available.
Get the assistance you need by calling the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.
There is a stigma in the black community that breeds shame/feelings of weakness in those suffering from mental illness. How can we break the stereotypes to ensure that those suffering get proper treatment?
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