Ella Montgomery Flower passed away peacefully surrounded by her devoted family on June 19, 2025 due to complications of Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism. Ella was born in New Orleans on June 4, 1945 to the late Ella Smith Montgomery and Richard Bullard Montgomery, Jr. She graduated with honors from the Louise S. McGehee School, class of 1963. She then attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts for two years before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. During the summer between her junior and senior years, Ella met Walter “Chip” Chew Flower III on a blind date; they went on to marry six months later in New Orleans. Committed to graduating on schedule, she concluded her final semester at Newcomb College with a major in Economics.
The couple subsequently moved to the Boston area after Chip accepted a position at a local investment firm. They settled in Concord, Massachusetts, and in 1968 welcomed their first child, daughter Anne. A warmer climate and family ties soon beckoned them home. In 1970, Ella gave birth to their second daughter Lindsey in New Orleans.
Ella was known for her kindness, compassion, gentle nature, and generous spirit. She was an exceptionally nurturing and attentive mother, never missing a school trip, horse show, swim meet, school play, or track meet. Ella was equally selfless in her role as caregiver to many elderly relatives and family friends throughout her life. And she took great joy in being a grandmother to Lizzie and Fleming Redd.
Ella was a dedicated animal lover. Throughout her married life, she and Chip adopted more than 30 dogs who were their constant companions. She served on an advisory committee of the LSPCA and was deeply supportive of her daughter Lindsey’s rescue work with animals, including the establishment of a large sanctuary in Folsom, Louisiana for abused and abandoned horses, donkeys, and small pets.
Throughout her lifetime, Ella volunteered her time and energy to community service and local charities. She served as president of the Junior League of New Orleans and was on the boards of the Louisiana Nature Center, the Friends of Longue Vue House and Gardens, United Way, the New Orleans Home and Rehabilitation Center, the Cancer Association of Greater New Orleans, the Salvation Army, and the Hotel Dieu Hospital Ethics Committee. She was an advocate of mental health awareness, joining the Board of the LSU Department of Psychiatry and testifying before Congress to press for enhanced federal funding. She was also an Honorary Board Member of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and hosted their inaugural Unmasking Mental Illness gala. In 2005, Ella was awarded the Distinguished Alumnae Award from McGehee School.
A natural artistic talent, Ella loved to paint and enrolled in classes taught by Louise Heebe and the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. She donated countless pieces of her impressionist-style artwork to fundraising auctions for local charitable organizations. Ella was also an avid reader and history buff. She took great pride in her Spencer and Montgomery ancestors’ contributions to American history as Colonial and Revolutionary generals, prominent jurists, and educators (many of whom were trailblazing women). Befitting her interest, Ella was a member of the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the American Revolution, and she served as a proud Trustee of the Historic Kenmore house in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a Washington family property operated by the George Washington Foundation. Additionally, Ella was involved in the Women of Trinity Church and was a member of the Orleans Club, Le Petit Salon, and the Garden Study Club of New Orleans.
Ella was predeceased in 2022 by her husband of 55 years, Walter Chew Flower III. She is survived by her daughters, Anne Flower Redd and Lindsey Montgomery Flower, her son-in-law Edmund England Redd, her granddaughters Elizabeth and Fleming Redd, as well as her brother Richard Bullard Montgomery III and his family, and by her sister Anne Montgomery Andre. The family wishes to offer heartfelt thanks to Martha Ned, Beverly Wilson, Audrella Upshaw, Patrice Adams, and Pam Balthazar for their compassionate caregiving during Ella’s illness, along with the entire devoted staff at Compassus and Ochsner Medical Center. A private service will be held in celebration of Ella’s life. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you make a donation to the charity of your choice.
