ROBERT SAMUEL MONTGOMERY

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ROBERT SAMUEL MONTGOMERY Peacefully on the evening of July 24, 2005, Dad passed away at the Glenboro Personal Care Home at the age of 97 years. Dad is survived by three daughters, Judy Montgomery (Marcel) of Wawanesa; Roberta Jones (Casey) of Winnipeg; Cathy Sveinson (Roy) of Selkirk and son Keith (Lisa) of Prince George, BC. He leaves 13 grandchildren, Susan, Wesley (Vera), Barry (Laurie), Arron, Jeff (Gerry), Adrienne (Chris), Lindsay, Shawna, Chris, Kelly (Scott), Kyle, Holly and Derek; 12 great-grandchildren, Charity, Craig, Taryn, Keenon, Roy, Blair, Wyatt, Crystal, Mackenna, Malone, Kyleigh and Kara and three great-great-grandchildren, William, Kail and one expected in January, as well as one sister Eleanor Montgomery of Virden and by a sister-in-law Mary Gompf of Souris and daughter-in-law Carie of Red Deer, AB, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Dad was predeceased by his wife Bessie (nee Gompf) in 2001, father Robert in 1938 and mother Emma in 1944; brothers, Tommy, Billy and Oswald and by sisters, Mollyie and Mabel. Dad was born in the Ryerson District in the R.M. of Woodworth north of Oak Lake, MB, on December 24, 1907. He was the youngest son of Robert and Emma Montgomery. Dad attended Ryerson and Oakwood Schools in Oak Lake. At the age of 17 years he left home and moved to Winnipeg and worked at Wood Valence Wholesale Hardware and Marshall Wells Hardware for $16.00 a week. He cooked in a bush camp in northern Manitoba, making bread, pies and hundreds of pancakes. In 1925 he started courting our mother Bessie. It took Dad 15 years to pop the question! They married in November of 1940 in Oak Lake and resided on a farm eight miles north of Oak Lake where they raised four children, Judy, Roberta, Cathy and Keith. They retired to Wawanesa, MB in September 1976. Dad served on the vestry of St. Alban's Anglican Church, was a trustee on the school board at Ryerson and canvassed for the Canadian Red Cross for many years. He played the trumpet in the Oak Lake Citizen's Band and with the Winnipeg Grenadiers Band. He was a 75-year member of the Masonic Lodge and a 50+ member of the Oakwood Chapter of Eastern Star. As a young child, Dad helped his mother cook in the kitchen a lot. They always had a full house!! He also looked after his ailing sister Mollyie. He played back catcher and in left field on his baseball / softball teams. After Dad retired to Wawanesa he took up curling, golfing and taught some woodworking in 4-H. He enjoyed planting rows and rows of potatoes and a large orchard of fruit trees. In his senior years he enjoyed playing cards, drives in the country, and going on day trips with the Seniors Group. He liked to putter in his workshop redoing antiques and making cherished articles for family members. Dad was a very hard worker, working very long hours to provide for his family. One of the greatest joys was to see Dad's face light up when Little Lady , Irish Woman and Little Pattie visited him at the Home in Glenboro. The family wishes to acknowledge the attentive medical and nursing staff at the Glenboro Personal Care Home who cared for Dad and kept him comfortable and pain free. The family would like to express our gratitude to the home care workers who helped care for Dad in his own home, without them he could not have stayed in his home for 95 years. A Celebration of Dad's life will be held in the Wawanesa United Church on Saturday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Mark Murray of Souris officiating. Interment will follow in the Wawanesa Cemetery. Donations in Bob's memory may be made to the Glenboro Senior Enrichment Group, Box 310, Glenboro, MB R0K 0X0. Jamieson Funeral Service of Baldur-Glenboro in care of arrangements. 1-204-827-2480.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jul 29, 2005