Retired Mississippi chancery judge dies

CANTON, Miss. (AP) - Retired Chancery Judge Ray H. Montgomery of Canton died Sunday after a brief illness. He was 79.

The Mississippi Supreme Court announced Montgomery's death Monday.

Funeral services are 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church in Canton. Burial will be in Cato Cemetery in Johns, Mississippi.

After retiring, Montgomery heard cases as a senior judge until a few years ago.

Montgomery was Madison County tax assessor from 1964 to 1972. He served in the Mississippi Senate from 1972 to 1978. He became a chancery judge on Jan. 1, 1979 and retired Dec. 31, 1994.

Montgomery graduated from Millsaps College and the Jackson School of Law.

Montgomery, who contracted polio at the age of 15, worked from a wheelchair.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; a brother; and some nieces and nephews.