David Brock Montgomery

David Brock Montgomery was a wonderful man. He was a very loving and devoted husband, a supreme father, a great brother and a loving son. Always a bit goofy, even referred to as eccentric at times, he was a true and loyal man. A man of integrity, he always wanted to do the right thing, and he lived his life with honor. David was also a musical genius, and playing entirely by ear he brought music to life every time he sang, played his piano or strummed his banjo and guitar.

David was born on September 1, 1950 at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. He was the son of Richard and Kathleen Montgomery. David grew up in Columbia, South Carolina and Madison, Wisconsin.

David was raised with two siblings. He had one older brother, Bob and one younger brother, Jim. David was usually involved in all sorts of activities with his siblings. He and his siblings experienced rivalries typical of a growing family, but they shared many life experiences over the years.

As a young boy, David had a number of interests. Like most children, he enjoyed playing and making up games. He was curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. David was an active child who took part in swimming. He was an excellent swimmer and diver from an early age. He also roller skated in the summer, and his family ice skated in the winter when Tenny Park Lagoon froze over, biked, like family croquet (Montgomery rules), and spectator baseball. He was a Cub Scout and his mother was the Den Mother and his dad was the Assistant Scout Master. They were active in Scouting for 14 years. He sang in a church youth group. In his spare time he liked to fish and swim daily in the summer in the nearby Yahara River and Lake Monona, catching huge carp from the river as the City placed large barrels there for disposal. Dave chose to carry his around in his wagon to show and tell for as many days as his friends could stand the smell. He and Mike Wacker liked to sit on enormous boulders in the lake, throw rocks in the water, and sing.

David's memorable achievements included music. He began taking piano lessons at age 7. His teacher said he was a natural musician who could play from memory after she played a new piece for him. So, he played for fun, no tedious practice. He loved to play music. However, to David, the most fun to be had was simply playing and spending time with his friends.

A typical teenager, David had a fairly happy high school experience, making that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from the new LaFollette High School in Madison in 1968, the first full 4 year graduating class in that school. He enjoyed some classes more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers. His favorite class in high school was language, friends, and MUSIC. He stole the show in the role of Will in Oklahoma, their senior musical. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was his Shop teacher. David made a wooden tray with raised sides that his Mother still uses. David was not involved in school sports; however he did try out for several in high school. Although he never made the team, the coach gave him a letter for his jacket for never giving up, saying he had the heart of a true athlete. He continued ice skating and learned to ski, later joining the International Ski Patrol. He was involved in music activities in school and even more involved with organized music groups in the community. He played lead guitar and was lead singer with the Calientys, one of the top teen bands in Madison at that time. They traveled regularly throughout the state. He had a host of friends in the music world.

Always considered a “good” friend to those he knew, David enjoyed a broad group of acquaintances and several very close friends during his lifetime. While growing up, some of his best friends were Mike Wacker, Duane Wagner, David Daniels, and Tom Tiedt. During one long summer, Tom pushed David around in his wheelchair. A note was found written by David, Prince of Drama to Tom ~ "Tom, you are the best friend a little crippled boy could have."

On January 29th 1982, David exchanged wedding vows with Rose Lynn Winograd at Travis County Courthouse of Austin, Texas. David was committed to making his new family happy and was on top of the moon over this next step in his life.

David worked hard to be a good father to his children and he did his best to fulfill their needs. David was blessed with five children, two daughters, Jennifer and Emily and three sons, Andy, Sam, and Jeff. Another blessing for David was the gift of three grandsons, Brandon, Damien, and Sean.

David served his country proudly for 21 years, and was a proud member of the U.S. Air Force. He was assigned to the hospital veterinary corps working with animals, performing food inspection and grading eggs. When the army took over the Veterinary Corps, he began helping the U.S. Air Force in the environmental health section. David ran an eye opening STD program for soldiers traveling abroad to teach them what NOT to do. He retired from the Air Force in 1992 as the Non Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) of his office. David dearly loved the military and was proud every day he got to serve his country.

During his time in the USAF, David was stationed at a variety of places. He went to basic in San Antonio, Texas, and then traveled to California, Anchorage, Alaska, Duluth, Minnesota, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Arkansas. He did his year long remote without his family in Korea. Through his hard work, he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant. He received several awards recognizing him for his service, including an Air Force Commendation with Four Bronze Clusters, Achievement Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with One Bronze Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Small Arms Expert. His fellow soldiers viewed him as a brother in arms and knew that he was as much a part of their family as their loved ones back home.

After retirement from the USAF, David started working for the USDA, which he did for the past 15 years and intended to do for the next 20. For the first 11 years he graded eggs, traveling 180 miles daily to and from his plant. On his long drives to and from work he would make up songs about eggs, and set them to tunes from the musical Oklahoma. He called his version “Yoke-lahoma”, and he never hesitated to play his parodies to his colleagues. He was lucky enough to then get his current job as an executive assistant for the USDA office in Buda, TX. He loved his job, and his bosses and co-workers. They were more than just friends, they were his USDA family, and he always said he had “the best job in the world”.

David enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in various hobbies. His favorite pursuits were music, writing songs, and crossword puzzles. He was content to enjoy his favorite pastimes alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

David found pleasure in sports. David was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following his favorite events whenever he had the chance to do so. Tops on his list were golf, football, and tennis.

When his children were young, he used to take them camping. One of his favorite locations was Estrella Park in Arizona. On one occasion, he deftly took care of a little visitor who popped up on him and his family. They would later recall “No problem for dad to take care of the rattlesnake”. His other favorite retreat was his rare opportunity to fish with his father in law “Poppy” and his best friends and brothers-in-law, Steven and Lance.

David was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of his favorites was Monty, one of his granddogs. His family was rounded out by his other granddogs, Roxy, Dakota and Brady. His own dogs included Molly, Crackers, Misty, Ladybug and Kailey. Other cherished pets included his best feline friend Malcolm and his aptly named parakeet Spaz.

David passed away on June 23, 2010 at His home in Austin, Texas. David passed away unexpectedly from hypertensive heart failure. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 1/2 years, Rose L. Montgomery; his children, Sam Berry and wife, Rusty, Jennifer Berry and fiancé, Michael Piña, Andy Montgomery, Jeff Montgomery, and Emily Montgomery and fiancé, Rich Melberg; his grandsons, Brandon and Damien Bintliff and Sean Berry; granddogs, Dakota, Brady, and Roxy; mother, Kathleen Montgomery; brothers, Bob Montgomery and wife, Katie and Jim Montgomery and wife, Julie; mother-in-law, Sandra Winograd; brothers-in-law, Lance Winograd and wife, Lisa and Steven Winograd and wife, Judy; sister-in-law, Susan Hunter; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and a host of friends. Services were held at graveside. David was laid to rest in Beth Israel 3, Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville, Texas.

Simply stated, David was a good and kind person, an individual who will for all time be remembered by his family and friends as being a caring and giving person, someone who was a vital part of their lives. David leaves behind him a legacy of life-long friendships and many cherished memories. Everyone whose life he touched will always remember David Brock Montgomery.