Monte Wayne Lareau

He grew up on the family farm just outside Rosston, Oklahoma, and attended Rosston Public Schools graduating from Rosston High School in 1962. He held a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas. Nearly two years after receiving his Bachelor’s degree and one thesis away from a master’s degree, Monte enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. Following basic training at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina, he served his country honorably stationed at Da Nang, Vietnam. Upon returning from his service, he met and married Melba Lou Brown on August 22, 1970.

Monte was preceded in death by his brother, Steven Don Lareau, his mother, Roberta Lyda Lareau, and his father, Lester Wayne Lareau. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Melba, his children, son Chad Vernon Lareau and wife Julie, and daughter, Lorie Lea Lareau, all of Edmond, Oklahoma, as well as his grandchildren, Caleb Andrew Lareau and wife Isabel, of Sunnyvale, California, and Maci Addison Lareau and her fiancé Will Appling, of Edmond, Oklahoma.

Monte and Melba raised their family in the panhandle of Oklahoma, primarily in Hooker, Oklahoma, where he made his career as a community banker at First National Bank. He was very involved in his community, where he attended the United Methodist Church and served on various city and church boards. Upon moving his family to Guymon, Oklahoma, Monte continued his career in banking at Bank of the Panhandle. It was during his time in Guymon that Monte became a Rotary Club member and was named as a Rotary Foundation of Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. Monte was an avid golfer; he was gifted with a beautiful tenor singing voice and was a trained pianist. He used his gifts in service to whatever church he attended over the years, both in the choir and as a church pianist and organist.

Monte and Melba moved to Woodward, Oklahoma, in the early 2000s, where Monte eventually retired from his nearly 30-year banking career. After retirement, Monte was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. Ultimately, this diagnosis led him and Melba to relocate to the Oklahoma City area, where in 2011, Monte received a lung transplant at Integris Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute. With this gift, Monte was given another 11 years to spend with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Monte and Melba lived at Stone Creek Assisted Living in Edmond, Oklahoma, at the time of Monte’s passing, where Melba will continue to reside.