George Herbert Montagno's Obituary
On May 27, 2023, George Herbert Montagno, 77, of Cornelius, North Carolina passed away peacefully at home with his beloved wife Kathy at his side, following his short, intense battle with ALS. The day was rainy and unseasonably cool, a perfect time to bird-watch which had become a happy hobby of George’s in the later stages of his illness.
George’s grandparents emigrated from Italy and settled into the vibrant multicultural neighborhood of Queens Village, New York where his parents Sal and Belle met and married. When George was born, he was welcomed with open arms into his mother’s multi-generational home. In later life, George would delight his family with stories about the challenges of living with a large family and sharing the Castro convertible sofa as a young boy with not one but two aunts. It is possible that living in such close quarters with his extended family possibly resulted in his being the only young man in history to have been excited about leaving home to attend a military boarding school (La Salle Military Academy) for high school.
George was incredibly intelligent and had a natural curiosity about technology. He developed a passion for everything electronic from early childhood. After graduating from Manhattan College with a degree in electrical engineering, George entered the Air Force as an officer. Upon leaving the service, he remained connected with the Air Force as a member of the Civil Service attached particularly to the USAF Tactical Air Warfare Center.
George’s military career led him to Eglin AFB in northwest Florida, where he eventually met and married his wife Kathy in 1985, and became stepfather to daughters Jennifer and Amy. George devoted his life to “his girls.” During the day, he’d help fix military weapons systems and in the evening, he would fix a faucet, patch a wall, or build a bicycle. George never stopped being helpful to anyone who needed him, and his girls supplied endless hours of things he could help them with. George’s tool chest was the equivalent of a doctor’s black bag. When he’d travel to visit friends or family, he could always be seen helping to repair something around the house and he did so every single time with a smile on his face. He was a fixer. He spent his life improving life for everyone around him.
George loved to travel, enjoyed working on any number of wood working and carpentry projects and volunteering his time to Grace Covenant Church’s GearUp Bike Shop and to the AARP as a volunteer tax preparer. But above all else, he loved spending time with his beloved wife, Kathy; his stepchildren, Jennifer and Amy; and his stepgrandchildren, Lainie, Jack, Grace, Tommy and Katie.
The family plans to hold a private celebration of George’s life at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be made in George’s memory to support ALS research at als.org.
James Funeral Home, of Huntersville, is serving the family and obituary lovingly written by the family.
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