Jacquelyn Forde LaMonte

Services for Jacquelyn (Jackie) Forde LaMonte will be held at Grace United Methodist Church in Copperas Cove on Friday, February 1st at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Central Texas Veterans Cemetery in Killeen. Jackie, 87, passed away Wednesday, January 2, 2019. She was born in Great Neck, Long Island, New York on February 9, 1931 to Olive Rockwell (Sweezy) Forde and Jack Reginald Forde. She was raised in Northport. At a young age she cultivated a love of the water through growing up in a seaside community. While in Northport, she enjoyed singing, street hockey, sailing, swimming, playing the cornet and attending church at St. Paul’s Methodist Church. After graduating from Northport High School in 1950, she attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York where she studied to be a physical education teacher. In November of 1952, she married her beloved husband of 62 years, Robert (Bob) LaMonte, of Huntington, New York. Accompanying Bob she became an Army wife supporting Bob’s career and devoting her life to her family. As she followed her ever-loving sweetheart to various duty stations and while he served three tours in Vietnam, she became active in many clubs including The Geographical Wives Club and The Polka Dots singing club in Ft. Benning, GA. One of her fondest memories was traveling with The Polka Dots to Florida where they performed on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour. Also at Ft. Benning she became a volunteer life guard at the community pool and continued to grow her love of sports through golfing and sailing her Sunfish sailboat. Jackie and Bob moved to Copperas Cove/Ft. Hood in December of 1969 for their final duty station. They quickly settled into the Greater Ft. Hood Community where Jackie became very active in many community volunteer organizations including the Officers Wives Club, Central Texas Mended Hearts, American Heart Association, Coryell County Republicans, a State of Texas Republican Convention Delegate, Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce, Copperas Cove Military Affairs. She was also the first Republican female to run for a public office in Coryell County, actively involved in Girl Scouts of America and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. For 20 years, she served as an election judge for the City of Copperas Cove. Another big part of Jackie’s life at Ft. Hood was spent in league bowling where she made lifelong friends as they traveled to compete in tournaments at military installations around Texas and neighboring states. She was a founding member and the first Chairman of the Copperas Cove Rabbit Fest. She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church. She was most happy and at peace when she was in the sun either at the beach or the lake enjoying activities with family and friends while camping, boating, slalom skiing, sailing, tubing, jet skiing, swimming, playing tennis or golfing. All of the children and grandchildren cherished their time with Jackie while spending every summer at the beach or the lake. Finally, Jackie had many endearing qualities, but what stood out best was treating everyone like family and she never, ever met a stranger.

Jackie is survived by her 4 children, 7 grandchildren, and 5 great-children: Larremore (Larry) LaMonte and his daughters, Lauren and Jacquelyn (Ellie); Jacquelyn (Lyn) Cox, her daughter Courtney Cox Waters, her husband Clayton and their children Atticus and August; Jeanette (Jan) Adkins, her husband Gary, and their sons Matthew and Michael; and Michaelle Pitrucha, her husband Jeff and their daughters, Alicia Pitrucha Casstetter, her husband Robby and their children, Derrick, Mazi and Dakota, Teresa Pitrucha Smith and her husband Brandon. Brother Alan LaMonte; nephews Robert, Larry, John and his wife Brenda LaMonte and their children John Jr. and Katelynn; nieces Debbie Joseph and her children David, Lizzy LaMonte and her daughter Olivia; Gabi LaMonte, Cameron Weeks and their daughter Presley; Cousins Richard and Camille Sweezy; Sue Trojnarski and family; Eva Heathcock and family; John, Samantha, Michael (McClain), Taylor and Hannah Sweezy; Tandy, Michael and Brooke Price; Rebecca, Andy and Conner Foster; and adopted children Jeff and Feri Abravesh and their children Ali, and Arash; and Mehrdad Andisheh and family.

Memorial contributions may be made to:

Grace United Methodist Church

United Methodist Women

101 West Ave F

Copperas Cove, Tx 76522