Monte Clel Barbour

The only child of Ruth Pauline (Laird) and Russell Andrew Barbour, he spent his weekdays as a toddler in childcare with the Salvation Army. He would laughingly recall being told there, “If you don’t eat your beets, you don’t get no puddin’.”

Lighthearted humor was Monte’s constant companion. He ran track and cross country in high school, later telling others his dad said, “You run well, just too long in one place.” If people asked what he did in the Air Force, Monte replied, “Whatever they told me to do.” As these lines evoked a smile or even a chuckle, he’d say, “No fool, no fun.”

Monte grew up in Urbandale, Iowa, outside Des Moines. Arthritis limited his father’s mobility, and polio did the same to his stepmother, Alice. It was up to their son in junior and senior high school to cash their checks and buy the family’s groceries.

As a father, Monte once returned with his son Russ to a convenience store where they'd bought some milk. The clerk had given Monte a $20 bill in change rather than a $10 bill. He returned the money to prevent the clerk’s till from coming up short. The lesson for Russ was to think about how your actions impact others.

At 28, Monte gained three stepsons – Larry, Kevin and Mark - when he married Hazel Yvonne (Lotz) Davis. Their courtship lasted a few weeks. Their loving union stood for 52 years, until she passed away in 2021.

Monte, an Airman Second Class, served as a military police officer at Whiteman Airforce Base. He also worked in the commissary, which led him to civilian employment at a Milgram’s grocery store in Kansas City. Later, he estimated moving jobs for van line companies. For 17 years, Monte sold microfilm services and equipment to banks and other institutions with American Micro Co. in Kansas City.

He is survived by his four sons, Melia and Russ Barbour of Lenexa, Ks., Larry Davis of Buckner, Mo., Lynda and Kevin Davis of Buckeye, Az., J.J. and Mark Davis of Lee’s Summit, Mo., many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

A visitation for Monte will be held Saturday, March 15, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Newcomer's Noland Road Chapel, 509 S Noland RD, Independence, Missouri. With a funeral service at 11:00 AM. A committal service with full military honors will follow at Oak Ridge Memory Gardens, 18301 E Salisbury Rd, Independence, Missouri. The family suggests donations to Kansas City Hospice.