Hector M Montalvo

Hector Miguel “Mike” Montalvo, passed away on April 17th peacefully in his sleep at the age of 86, after a courageous battle with cancer and other health challenges.

Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico in 1938, Mike was the son of a cabinet maker and learned the value of working with his hands at a young age. A talented athlete, he played baseball in his youth before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force after high school. For the first 24 years of his career, he served as a Commercial Artist, gifted in hand-illustrated signage and visual design. During the Vietnam War, he was deployed to the Pacific, where he contributed to drawing war plans for the Air Force.

It was during his time stationed on Guam that he met the love of his life, Teri. They married and began their life together. Despite the beauty of the island, the Air Force sent them to the snowy landscapes of North Dakota, where their son Michael was born and their family’s journey began. Over the next decade, they would move to military postings in Maryland, Arizona, and Colorado before coming full circle—returning to Guam in 1978 for Mike’s final Air Force assignment. That return also marked a new chapter for the Montalvo family, where back-to- back pregnancies would add their daughters Azurdee and Desiree to the family.

After retiring from the military, Mike went back to school and earned a double major in Management and Marketing, graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Guam. He then began a second career in Human Resources, most notably with the Pacific Star Hotel, helping shape Guam’s growing tourism and hospitality industry.

Following another decade of hard work and dedication, Dad retired again. He and Mom relocated briefly to San Diego before settling in the desert warmth of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dad believed deeply in hard work, education, and doing things right. He often worked into the night perfecting his projects, driven by pride in his craft. He was a die-hard Denver Broncos fan, with near-equal love for the Phoenix Suns and San Diego Padres. Mike loved music, the game of golf, dogs, fishing, dancing, and telling jokes with infectious laughter.

Now reunited with his beloved wife of 56 years, Teri, who passed last year, Mike joins her in leaving behind a proud legacy composed of Michael and his beautiful sisters, Azurdee and Desiree, together with their incredible husbands Chris and Randy, and nine amazing grandchildren (Savannah, Alyssa, Matthew, Ethan, Sophia, Gianna, Ryan, Kaia and Noah) who will forever carry a piece of him in their hearts.

A visitation for Mike will be held from 5-7pm on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at Palm Southwest Mortuary, 7979 W. Warm Springs Rd., Las Vegas. Funeral mass will begin at 11am on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at St. Joseph Husband of Mary Catholic Church, 7260 W. Sahara Ave. Las Vegas.