Cleo M. Montague

Cleo Mae was the youngest of 7 children born to William T. and Grace (Daniels) Loomis of Griswold, Iowa on December 28, 1923. Her father was a carpenter who specialized in building barns, and her mother was a vocational nurse. When Cleo graduated from Griswold High School in 1941, the country was moving toward war, so she took a training course to become an aircraft mechanic. Her first assignment was to repair bomber aircraft at Hill Field near Ogden, Utah. She then moved to California and took a job repairing P-38 fighter aircraft at McClellan Field near Sacramento. Although Cleo was rather quiet and reserved, she had a great sense of determination and adventure and made her way to California by staying at YWCAs and getting rides from people posting on bulletin boards. It was at McClellan Field that she met Gordon Montague, who was also a mechanic. They were married on October 1, 1944 and spent the next 59 years together.

After the war, Cleo and Gordon lived in Berkeley, Fresno and finally in Lawrence, Kansas so that he could finish his education to become a teacher. Cleo worked a variety of jobs during those years. In Berkeley, she had a sales position in a fashionable dress shop. In Kansas, she did assembly work at a factory that produced radios. Once Gordon’s education was completed, they returned to the Fresno area, where several members of his family had already settled. They settled down in the small rural community of Easton, where they lived for the remainder of their lives. Gordon worked as a teacher at Washington Union High School and farmed his land in Kerman, producing crops of alfalfa, barley and corn. Cleo had 3 children and then began her career at the downtown Fresno Post Office, where she worked for 18 years, taking odd shifts and overtime and making lifelong friends. She and Gordon worked hard and lived their lives with honesty and integrity in all that they did.

Cleo enjoyed the simple things in life and was devoted to her family. She always entertained her children and their families on the holidays, cooking wonderful meals and creating many cherished memories. With an interest in nutrition, she made sure that she and her family developed healthy eating habits. She loved children and was always pitching in to help care for her grandchildren. She enjoyed taking short trips to the coast with family, shopping trips to Fresno, and getting together with relatives for potlucks or to play cards and laugh. Upon her retirement in 1983, Cleo and Gordon traveled as far as Europe and Alaska for as long as they were physically able.

Cleo Mae Montague passed away on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at the age of 95. She is survived by daughter Linda Gober, son Michael Montague and daughter Lisa Jill Montague as well as grandchildren Kelly Quesada, Erika Ryan, Kevin Packard, Jacob Rice and Jonah Rice and 10 great grandchildren. Cleo was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon. She was well loved and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.

A visitation for Cleo will be held Saturday, May 11, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Lisle Funeral Home, 1605 “L” Street, Fresno, CA. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lislefuneralhome.com for the Montague family.