John Ruffner Montgomery

A lifelong resident of Columbus OH, he was the son of Lloyd and Vivian Andersen Montgomery. He graduated from Bexley High School, Admiral Farragut Academy, and the Ohio State University where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Later he earned his MBA from Capital University. In the intervening years, he proudly served with the Ohio Air National Guard including a yearlong deployment in South Korea.

As the story goes, John began working at Dealers Lumber Company, founded by his grandparents in 1920, by delivering coal as a youngster. In the end, he served as President and CEO for many years. He was “regarded as a wonderful mentor, trusted employer and friend.”

John and Nancy are the parents of Alyson Brown (Michael), Karen Cleary (Ronan), and Susan Montgomery (Zach Lawrence). Always a proud father, he delighted in his eight grandchildren-Mikey, Jack and Kate Brown, Shea, Aidan, Kian and Caitlin Cleary and Vivian Lawrence-all of whom adored their Bapa.

In reflecting on John’s life, memories abound. There were boating and fishing trips on the waters of the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, skiing in Northern Michigan and the West, IRU 52 in Harbor Springs MI, and golfing wherever and whenever possible. Quieter times were often spent tracing his Mississippi heritage and studying the history and tales of Southwest Florida.

John’s home away from home was in Cypress Hammock in Shadow Wood (Estero FL), always a most welcome winter retreat. For more than twenty years, he renewed his friendships with this very caring community.

A celebration of John’s life will take place on Saturday, May 20, 2023 from 3-6pm at Schoedinger Northwest, 1740 Zollinger Rd. Columbus Ohio 43221. In lieu of flowers, those who wish, can make a donation in John’s memory to either the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, 1495 Smith Preserve Way, Naples, FL 34102-3500, https://conservancy.org/donate/ or to Trinity United Methodist Church, 1581 Cambridge Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43212, https://www.trinityumchurch.com/donations/