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| Amburgey, long-time educator, dies |
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5/20/2016
By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer
Roger Dale Amburgey, a retired educator with the Montgomery County School District who mentored hundreds of students during his career, died last Friday at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead. He was 72.
Wendell Taylor, who worked alongside Amburgey for years at Montgomery County High School, said his colleague helped countless students mature and establish themselves as leaders through his business and marketing classes.
“He was a role model for those students and had a definite effect on a lot of students and a lot of people,” Taylor said.
Amburgey took special pride in serving as a mentor to his students and often went the extra mile to help a student that might be struggling, Taylor said.
“He would go out of his way to help them in any way possible,” Taylor remembers.
Taylor helped Amburgey lead the DECA chapter at the high school. During their tenure the DECA program became recognized statewide and nationally, placing officers at both levels.
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe, it says on its website.
Daryl Montgomery, a fellow retired MCHS teacher and nephew of Amburgey’s, remembers that other schools were jealous of the success DECA had reached in Montgomery County.
Montgomery said students were naturally drawn to Amburgey by his likable personality and fun-loving attitude.
“He loved the students,” Montgomery said. “He put students above everything and their well being and their future.”
Amburgey also served for a time as principal at Mapleton Elementary School and administrative assistant to the superintendent at Central Office.
“Mr. Amburgey spent 27 years as an educator in Montgomery County including teacher, principal and district administrator,” noted a statement from Superintendent Matt Thompson. “The fact that Mr. Amburgey’s entire career was spent in Montgomery County shows his commitment to the students and families of this community. Our school district is stronger because of the many years of service of dedicated employees like Roger Amburgey.”
Amburgey also had a sense of humor, Taylor said, recalling an incident during their time working together.
When Hobbs Dept. store was going out of business it donated all its mannequins to the DECA chapter at the high school. Amburgey and Taylor went to get them. They loaded the mannequins in the bed of Amburgey’s truck with Taylor holding them to prevent them from getting away.
Amburgey then drove directly up Main Street honking the horn and pointing back at Taylor who was surrounded by female mannequins.
“Even though I was the butt of the joke it was funny,” Taylor said.
Amburgey was also an avid gardener of both flowers and vegetables though he gave away more vegetables than he ever kept, Montgomery said.
Before he became increasingly ill with pancreatic cancer, Amburgey was active in his church, Hope First Church of God. He also liked attending auctions to look for antiques.
“He was a very special person,” Taylor said.
Amburgey is survived by his wife of 48 years, Barbara Smith Amburgey; one son, William Omer Dale Amburgey and his wife Kristy of Port Orange, Fla.; one grandson, Liam Amburgey; one brother, Frank Amburgey of Germantown, Ohio; one sister, Betty Amburgey Montgomery of Mt. Sterling; and several nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by two brothers, Billy Amburgey and Robert Clay “Bob” Amburgey.
A funeral service was scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at Hope First Church of God. Burial was to take place at Lovely-Amburgey Cemetery.
At his request, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Gateway Area Humane Society, P.O. Box 123, Mt. Sterling, Ky., 40353 or STAR (Saving the Animals of Rowan), P.O. Box 454, Morehead, Ky., 40351.
For complete obituary information, see Page A9.
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