Frederick “Fred” Lee Montgomery was born on May 20, 1942 in the small town of Dizney, Kentucky to Virgil and Elsie (nee Carter) Montgomery. The family moved to the north side of Chicago where he spent most of his youth and young adult life. Frederick loved Chicago and was full of stories of his adventures as a young child in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, and with lifelong friends Mark and Shirley Norman, Chuck Goforth, Edward “Eddie” Behof, and Bob Carter.
He married young, and was the proud, and disciplined father to Yvonne, Frederick “Freddie” Jr., and a son, Jeffrey, who succumbed to illness at a young age. Frederick worked hard for his family. He was creative and not afraid to try new and different things. During his working years, he spent time as an ironworker, and a supervisor for strapping material manufacturer, A J Gerrard. He then went on to obtain his license in cosmetology and was the proud owner of two beauty shops where he sold wigs and was a hair stylist. The majority of his career, however, was spent as a Chicago Police Officer where he served in the 20th District, later worked at Police Headquarters in the Subpoena Division. Frederick retired after 30 years with numerous awards for Chicago Police Service. He enjoyed close friendships with fellow officers Bill Milmine, Dave Bertram, and John Waterloo. Frederick was an active and longstanding member of The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, the Scottish Rite Valley of Chicago Masonic Temple 32°, and the fraternal organization of Medinah Shriners. He was also a member of St Phillips Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran churches in Chicago.
Frederick had varied and interesting hobbies that included baseball cards and comic books as a child, and golf and fishing as an adult. He loved golfing with his son, Freddie, and loved to tell stories of golf or fishing trips to Teal Point Resort on Lake Norfolk in Arkansas with his brother-in-law Leo, and his friends Eddie Behof, and Mel (and wife Yuriko) Saathoft. Frederick also loved his Fat Boy Harley Davidson motorcycle and had hair raising adventures to tell over a beer. Frederick always enjoyed tending his gardens, cooking delicious meals for his wife, Linda, and traveling with her to favorite places that included San Francisco, California, Paducah, Kentucky, Mexico, and Saint Lucia where they married and honeymooned over 20 years ago.
Like any good Chicagoan, Frederick also loved his sports teams and enjoyed watching the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks and the Cubs! He was also a proud member of the NRA, and, unfortunately for his stepdaughter, Jackie, he was a Republican.
Frederick cared deeply for his family and was immensely proud of his daughter Yvonne (John) Colletta and granddaughters Amber (David) Miller and Lena (Lou) Marrese, and his son Frederick “Freddie” Jr. (Kathleen) and granddaughter Elizabeth (Michael) Blache. Frederick was blessed with many great-grandchildren, including Michael, Alexa, Olivia and Ainsley Miller, Adriana and Luca Marrese, and Colton Blache. Frederick was also a loving stepfather and grandfather to Linda’s daughters and their families: Jackie (Grant) Jansen, and Stephanie (John) Todd, and their children Rowan and Neve Jansen, and Chloe and Emily Todd. We would be remiss to not mention Frederick’s deep love for his cats, including Sara, whom he loved passionately for 18 years, Gabby, and most recently Henry James and Bella who were a great comfort to Frederick during his final years.
Frederick is also survived by his dear sister Linda and her children Clint Peterson, Shannon Hansen, Seth Chaps, Lyndsey Chaps, Kristyna Chaps, Eric Holmquist, and Cainon Holmquist.
A service to remember Frederick and his life was held at Forest Park - The Woodlands Funeral Home, The Woodlands, Texas on July 6, 2020. He was laid to rest in Rosehill Cemetery Mausoleum, Terrace Level, Unit 9, Chicago, Illinois on July 9, 2020.
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