Biography sketch of Montgomery Oliver, minister in MI Copyright © 1998 by Jane Hodgson. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. _____________________________________________________________________ Montgomery Oliver: 1892 Jan 29 Born to Tom Oliver and Mary Aldeena Hocker Oliver Dropped out of high school 1913 Decided to be a minister, age 20 Taylor University, Upland, IN Completed high school Entered college Married Merle Stephens in college 1920 Evelyn born Served several small churches in the Upland area Graduated from Taylor University First church Ball Memorial Methodist, Muncie, IN Built a new church, large contributors, Ball brothers 1923 - 1929 Moved to church in Mount Morris, Michigan (near Flint) 1926 Living in Mount Morris, Michigan when Mother died 1926 Brother John came to live with the family 1929 Moved to Flushing, Genosee Co, Michigan (near Flint also) Wife died 1932 Moved to Grace Church in Detroit, Michigan Pastor in Detroit for 17 years Married Mary Wolfit 1936 Living in Detroit when father died, caring for brother John 1937 Justine born 1945 Moved to Ferndale, suburb of Detroit Built a large new church Earned a reputation for raising money, improving physical facilities, and paying off church debts Honorary Doctor of Divinity from Asbury College Had a severe heart attack and unable to cope with the demands of such a large church 1953 Moved to Lake Orion, not far from Detroit Pastor of Methodist Church, Lake Orion, Michigan Planned to retire at 65 but 1957 Feb 14 Another heart attack and died, age 64 1957 Feb 18 Funeral at Methodist Church in Lake Orion, Oakland Co, Michigan _________________________________________________________________________ Dec. 2, 1994 Dear Jane, -- I knew your grandmother well and was in her home many times - even when they lived at 2020 Broadway (which you probably know about) and your grandfather had his office in the house. At that time I was about five years old. Your grandmother had the first vacuum cleaner that I had ever seen - when she turned it on (to show it off) I cried because I thought the bag was going to blow up and pop like a ballon - I also remember that she gave me some Nabisco wafers. I liked them so well that your Mother was told to get me some more and I nearly emptied that box of sugar wafers! My Mother died in 1926 when I was 14 yrs. old and I went to live with my older brother Mont. Yes, she did look a lot like your Grandmother. They were always good friends and we visited her frequently. Whenever we went to Fort Wayne -- That was quite a trip, in those days, in a Model T Ford. Mont was a Methodist Minister in Mt. Morris, Michigan (near Flint, Mich.) at that time. His family and his different ministries in Detroit, Michigan and vicinities were my "home base" through High School, College and until I came West in 1943. My father died in 1938. At that time I was attending Albion College, in Albion, Michigan, where I graduated in 1939. Sincerely, John and Marion ________________________________________________________________________ January 28, 1995 Mr. and Mrs. John F. Oliver Dear Jane, We would like to make a correction regarding Grandma Jestene Hocker's picture with her pony. The pony's name was Nellie and not Polly. (Marion got confused about the ponies. I had one, also, and her name was Polly. Grandma is standing beside Nellie.) You wanted to know about Mont and his ministry - here's a brief outline: He was a high school drop-out. He decided to be a minister at about age 20 and went to Taylor University at Upland, Ind., which at that time had an Academy where he completed High School and then entered the college. He married in college and had one daughter, Evelyn, about 1920. During this period he ministered at several small churches in the Upland area. Soon after graduation he went to Mt. Morris, Michigan (near Flint) and was there from about 1923-1929. (I went to live with him in 1926.) He moved to Flushing, Michigan (also near Flint) in 1929 and was there for 3 yrs. During this period his wife died. In 1932 he moved to Grace Church in Detroit. While there he remarried and they had a daughter, Justine, born about 1937. About 1945 he moved to Ferndale, a suburb of Detroit. There he built a large new church. He had earned the reputation for being able to raise money, improve the physical facilities, and pay off church debts...much like Uncle Harve. (He did build a new church when he was in Muncie. I think that this was his first after graduation and was called Ball Methodist as the Ball Brothers had made a substantial contribution.) I believe that it was while he was at Ferndale that he received an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Asbury College. Soon after the Ferndale Church was completed he had a severe heart attack and was not able to cope with the demands of such a large church. He moved to Lake Orion, a small town not far from Detroit in 1953 or 1954. He was planning to retire at age 65 but died, of another heart attack in early 1957 while he was still 64. This is a fairly accurate account, but as indicated, I'm not sure of some of the exact dates. If you have anymore questions I'll be glad to answer them, if I can. Sincerely, Marion and John __________________________________________________________________ BERNE WITNESS OBITUARY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1957 RITES TODAY FOR FORMER MONROE MAN DR. MONT C. OLIVER METHODIST MINISTER DIES IN MICHIGAN Dr. Mont C. Oliver, former Monroe resident, and pastor of the Methodist church at Lake Orion, Mich., died Thursday afternoon at his home in that city. He was a son of the late Thomas B. and Mary Aldeena Hocker-Oliver, who resided at Monroe. Following his graduation from Taylor University, Dr. Oliver accepted a pastorate at Mount Morris, Mich. He later served at Flushing and then moved to Detroit, where he served as pastor for 17 years, resigning due to ill health from a heart ailment to accept the smaller charge at Lake Orion. He is survived by his wife, Mary; two daughters, Evelyn and Justine, and nine brothers and sisters, including Mrs. Lucille Rupert of Decatur, Walter C. Oliver of near Monroe, and Mrs Francille Keller of Rockford, O. Dr. Oliver's mother was a sister of the late John F. and Otis O. Hocker of Monroe and Charles E. Hocker of Decatur. Funeral services were conducted at 1:30 p.m. today at the Methodist church at Lake Orion, with burial at Lake Orion. __________________________________________________________________ Jane Hunter Hodgson Tucson, Arizona hodgson@azstarnet.com http://208.199.40.215/genealogy/index.html dz