Helen G. Montgomery, age 101, of Mitchell, died October 3, 2006. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Tuesday, at Congregational Church UCC in Mitchell. Visitation will be from 6-8 PM Monday at the Will Funeral Chapel, with a prayer service at 7 PM. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery. Helen Gertrude Sherwood, daughter of Gertrude (Rogers) and Edward J. Sherwood was born April 15, 1905, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her family then moved to St. Louis, Missouri, eventually moving to Mitchell, South Dakota in 1910. She grew up in Mitchell, attending public schools and graduating from Mitchell High School in 1923. After graduation, Helen attended music school in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a goal of becoming a music teacher. She came back after one year to help her mother who had been injured in a car accident. She then attended the University of South Dakota for two years and finished at Dakota Wesleyan University with a degree in education. After college, Helen taught school for four years in Parker, South Dakota, teaching grade school through high school music and high school English. She also taught third, fourth, seventh and eighth grade along with some music classes for two years in Farmer, South Dakota. Helen enjoyed her teaching career, however, her father had a different idea about what she should do. He told her he would give her the same salary she was getting teaching school, plus her room and board if she would come to work for him and learn the business. Helen took him up on the offer. She returned to Mitchell in the 1930s to work for her father at Sherwood Petroleum Corporation as a bookkeeper and through the years learned every facet of the business. They had two service stations, the Nite n Day on Havens and a downtown location across from the fire station. The business also included a bulk oil plant. World War II brought Helen an additional duty at Mitchells fire station. Volunteer firefighters were in short supply during the war. There were usually just enough men to go out on the trucks. When the fire whistle blew, she would always run across the street to find out where the fire was. One day when there was no one at the station to answer the phone, she picked it up and told the volunteers calling in where to go for the fire. This job continued long after the war was over. One day Fire Chief Ace Wheeler went to the mayor and told him to put Helens name on the volunteer list and she would answer roll call just like the rest of the firemen. That resulted in Helen becoming the first female volunteer fire fighter in South Dakota. On April 23, l952, Helen married Curtis F. Montgomery. They were lifelong residents of Mitchell. After her fathers death in l954, she ran Sherwood Petroleum with her husband until his death in 1968. She then ran the business herself until retiring in l971. Helen was a committed member of the Mitchell community. She was an active member of the First Congregational Church UCC, where she served as president and treasurer of Womens Fellowship, sang in the choir and played the organ when needed, served on many committees, and taught Sunday school. She also volunteered for many community organizations and served on many boards. Her list of volunteer work included the Community Chest board, Salvation Army board, Wesley Acres board, Friends of the Middle Border, Westerners International Center for the Western Studies, and Associated Charities. She was a member of PEO Chapter J, the Mitchell Garden Club, Wa Tan Ye Club, Davison County Historical Society, Dakotah Westerners, Mitchell Art Club, Shakespeare and Art, the Knit Wits. She was a staunch supporter of the Republican Party, unless she felt a local democrat was better qualified. She also served as a Red Cross volunteer during the World War II. They used to go down to meet the trains of soldiers coming through Mitchell each day and give them pheasant sandwiches for their lunch. Helen will always be remembered for her sharp mind and keen wit. If you wanted to know anything about the history of Mitchell, all you had to do was ask. Helen would know the answer. She took on the task of raising three step children without hesitation. She instilled in them a sense of pride and a positive attitude. Helen was a loving and generous mother, busy baking and sewing for her family even though she worked full time at her business. She always had time to attend all activities of her children and grandchildren. Grateful for having shared her life are her three step children: D.W. (Bill) Montgomery and his wife Janese of Mitchell, SD; Beverly Cupp and her husband Jim, of Buchanan Dam, Texas; and James Montgomery and his wife Susan also of Mitchell, SD; six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, four great-great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her brother, Leonard Sherwood.