Paul Montgomery, Sr.

On Thursday, July 11, 2019, God called home one of his noble warriors for an eternal rest and peace. Paul Wendell Montgomery, Sr. was born on November 27, 1952, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was the fifth child born to Earl Unrea (Reedy) Montgomery and Vivian Mabel Montgomery. His paternal grandparents are William Lee Montgomery and Laura Bell Montgomery and his maternal grandparents are Miles Turner and Pauline Turner. He was preceded in his transition by his father, mother and brother, Eric Wayne Montgomery and father-in-law, John Black, Sr.

Paul attended Cincinnati Public Schools and graduated from Withrow High School in 1971. Some of his favorite subjects in school were art, math and science.

As childhood sweet hearts, he met the love of his life, Wanda L. Black. A moment to remember as they met — “Paul was such a gentleman as he retrieved his pocket handkerchief from his jacket pocket and he helped her wipe ketchup from her hands while eating fries.” Paul and Wanda were married on June 23, 1973. To this union was born, Paul Jr., Tanya, Kymisha and Troy.

One of Paul’s most memorable artifacts is an African piece that he made out of his mother’s fur coats. He cut up her coats and made a canvas for this one-of-a-kind museum piece. His mother was made proud of his design. His mother was over-the-top with his creation and you would have thought it had been on display downtown. Paul was a philosopher of life and consequences. He was not a one-word person. Wanda called him a professor because of his many words of wisdom. He was an encourager, a giving person and a peacemaker. He always wanted everyone to feel good. During his younger days, he carried pretzels in his pocket and felt if there was a controversy, you could eat pretzels and talk it out. To this day, his family is still eating pretzels (sticks). Our dad was a teacher-at-heart. When his family moved to Havelock, NC, he taught Kymisha and Troy how to crab (fishing for crab). He showed them how to use corn and chicken as bait. The next day he was sent to Desert Storm. This was not about crabbing, but survival for life. This is a lesson we will always cherish. Paul Jr. (known as Junior) would go to his dad’s job in Oceanside, CA to proudly show his father his day’s catch. Paul Sr. was so proud of him and this would be the family’s dinner. Another teachable moment was when Tanya was about seven years old she was invited to go to the movies to see Annie; she asked her father and he said, “If you learn how to ride that bike”. Needless to say, there was not enough time to learn and go to the movies with her friend. Eventually, she learned. This became a trend with her and her dad. He taught her how to carry tasks through until she mastered them. He was not a quitter nor would he permit his children to quit at anything.

Paul was a United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant serving for over two decades. He enlisted in 1971. He was stationed in: Camp LeJeune (Jacksonville, NC), Camp Pendleton, 2 tours (Oceanside, CA), El Toro (Santa Ana, CA), Thailand, Cherry Point Marine Corp Air Station (Havelock, NC), Gulf War, Desert Storm and Okinawa, Japan. He supervised a troop of marines in the motor pool as a mechanic for amphibious ships, tanks and trucks.

He leaves to cherish and honor his memory: his beloved wife, Wanda; children, Paul Jr., Tanya of Charlotte, NC, Kymisha (Jaquanna) and Troy (Amber); siblings, Vanita Ann Rhodes (Min. Henry Rhodes), Michael Lee Montgomery (Gloria), Darrell Unrea Montgomery, Earl Steven Montgomery (Barb), Cynthia G. Lewis (Darryl), Sharon D. Montgomery, Donna Woods and Earl Woods (Gina); 15 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives, a very special friend, Andrew Surell and a host of friends.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Paul Montgomery, Sr., please visit our floral store.