Amy Humphrey made sure every Christmas was special for her family. And for many others in metro Atlanta.
Mrs. Humphrey and her husband, C.F. Humphrey, owned and operated Humphrey's Vista Grove hardware on LaVista Road in DeKalb County for many years. The store contained an extensive selection of Christmas decorations, particularly ornaments.
"Christmas was her favorite time of the year," said her son, C. John Humphrey of Livermore, Calif. "We always had a house that was decked out with pretty interior decorations."
Mrs. Humphrey developed a keen interest in ornaments from all over the world. Mr. Humphrey estimates his mother owned more than 1,500 ornaments and knew their origins. In fact, she was often invited by groups to discuss the history of Christmas ornaments. One of her favorites was a blown-glass ornament that featured a 17th-century lady wearing a dress made of spun silver.
Amy Riser Harrington Humphrey, 92, died Feb. 25 in Livermore, Calif., after a brief illness. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Decatur Cemetery in Decatur. A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory is in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Humphrey was born in Monroe, N.C., and graduated from Duke University in 1940. She taught in high schools in Kannapolis, N.C., and Spartanburg, S.C., before marrying C.F. Humphrey in 1946. He preceded her in death.
An avid reader, Mrs. Humphrey loved history and current affairs. She was a longtime member of Decatur First United Methodist Church and was active in United Methodist Women and served as a Sunday school teacher.
Her faith guided her life, said daughter Keren M. Humphrey of Rockwall, Texas. Ms. Humphrey recalled a time when she and her mother were leaving a grocery store. They walked past a woman sitting in a car, smoking a cigarette and surrounded by eight screaming children. The woman seemed oblivious to the ruckus. Instead of being critical, though, Ms. Humphrey said her mother explained to her "there are people who have things happen to them. And sometimes, they can't even help themselves. That's why we help people.' She could have said, ‘don't you end up like that' but that's not my mother. She talked about the importance of helping others and that came from her faith."
In 2005, Mrs. Humphrey moved to California to be near family. But John Humphrey said during the last year of her life, she frequently mentioned that she was "ready to come back to Georgia because she thought that was where she belonged. She's finally getting to come back. She was really a good woman."
Doug Greene agreed.
"She was my second mother," said Mr. Greene, of Whitesburg, who worked for the Humphreys in their hardware store as a young boy and teenager. "She was a great person to work for. She helped me a lot over the years. She was always trying to correct my grammar and English and I probably needed every bit of that help."
In addition to her children, Mrs. Humphrey is survived by five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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