John Montague

John Harvey Montague passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 22, 2023. John was born at home in Hays County, Texas, on September 1, 1930 to A.C. and Augusta "Gussie" Montague. He met the love of his life while serving in the Army in Llano. He and his beautiful bride, Doralene "Dodie" Casey, married on December 22, 1952. John and Dodie had three daughters: Tonda Ferguson of Panama City Beach, Florida; Debbie Patterson (husband Bill Patterson) of Marion; and Julie Lyn Montague who passed away as an infant. A son, Kyle Montague of Rockwall, completed the family of five. John and Dodie were so involved in all their activities - from shopping (Tonda) to rodeos (Debbie) to sports and hunting (Kyle). One passion the entire family shared was baseball - each one played on and/or coached many teams. John Montague was a great baseball player! John and Dodie were married for 51 years before Dodie died in 2003. John went on to live 19 years without his bride, but he was constantly surrounded by family, friends ... and even strangers. He so loved the friends of his children! John loved to tell a good story and he loved to hear a good story. His door was always open to visitors, and he probably made it hard for them to leave. It's impossible to find a man who worked harder than John. He grew up living off the land and raising livestock. He worked three jobs to pay for his college at Southwest Texas (now Texas State) in San Marcos. He did this while supporting a wife and baby daughter who was age two at his college graduation. No student loans! No student debt! John began his career working for the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) of the United States Department of Agriculture. After 30 years of service, John retired on a Friday, and started a new career on the following Tuesday. He would have started on Monday, but it was a holiday! John loved his new job as an insurance crop adjuster because he got to work face-to-face with the farmers and walk their land. He was especially thrilled when wineries started springing up in Texas, and he had the opportunity to work some of those. And he loved working the peach orchards near Fredericksburg. John completed all those claims on his laptop computer! He was a math whiz, and this was quite helpful in all the measurements he dealt with completing the claims. What John valued the most were the friends he met along the way and the wonderful adjusters he worked with. And he had a little side hustle going on as he traveled those country roads of Texas - he loved to collect "junk." He had a great eye for finding "junk" of value, and we affectionally called him "Junkman John." He loved to buy and then sell his "junk" at a profit! He kept immaculate records of each transaction. John officially retired at the age of 90! It was his love of people of all ages and his interactions with them that kept him young, adventurous, and full of life. John loved and supported his family with his entire heart and soul. There is absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for them. Tonda, Debbie, and Kyle were blessed beyond measure to call him "Daddy." It was the greatest privilege of their lives. They just loved being around him, and each one spoke to him practically every single day. And without fail, he ended every phone call by telling them he loved them and thanked them for calling. He also loved all their friends who seem to be unanimous in saying, "he was the sweetest man ever." While he loved his son and daughters, he was beyond the moon with his love for his grandsons - Choctaw Patterson (Seguin) and Grant Montague and Giby Morgan (Rockwall). And if that love couldn't get any stronger, John was then blessed with three great-granddaughters - Sienna, Gianna, and Onellia Patterson. What a special bond these beautiful girls had with their John-John! They loved playing cards with him, giving him a great hair style, painting his nails, and giving him a medical check-up. The greatest gift John gave his entire family was the gift of time. He truly loved spending time with them. And he was so fortunate to be able to spend time and visit on the phone with his siblings - Lavelle "Sis" Saunders (Boerne) and Lanny Montague and wife Wanda (Lampasas). John had several nieces, great nieces, and great nephews. He so enjoyed keeping up with their lives. It's so hard to say good-bye to this incredible man who touched so many lives with his strong work ethic, integrity, positivity, and zest for life. He fought vigorously to the very end because there were still a lot of people who he wanted to swap stories with, still a lot more "junk" to find, and still a lot of love left to give his family and friends. Our hearts are broken, and we will miss him every single moment of our lives. But we are also so happy that he's swapping some amazing stories with his bride and especially telling her about all "the kids." And we are forever grateful that he is free from pain and can roam the land again that he so loves. Rest in peace, Junkman John! Graveside Services will be held under the direction of Heritage Funeral Home Davis Morris Chapel at Huffman Cemetery, CR 405 and Hwy 71, Llano County, Texas on Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. John spent his entire life working in agriculture conservation and crop insurance adjustment. He passionately loved the land! In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Farmland Trust. https://farmland.salsalabs.org/MemorialDonationPage/index.html

John Montague

September 1, 1930 - January 22, 2023