Gray (Monty) Montgomery died peacefully Tuesday, February 10, 2026, after rarely sitting still for the last century. Born January 4, 1926, in St. Marys, Ontario, Monty was a merchant marine, then worked at Dow Chemical and Imperial Oil before joining Air Canada (formerly TCA) in 1956.
Monty took full advantage of the travel privileges, visiting 89 countries. Always game for adventure, he hung out with Inuit in the Northwest Territories and penguins in the South Pole. He travelled by crowded train from Moscow to Beijing with youngest daughter and then at 75, he sailed his son’s yacht across the Atlantic Ocean.
Monty taught figure skating, was an avid photographer and talented woodworker and never met a stranger he couldn’t regale with his trove of tales. His inability to sing didn’t deter him from joining a choir in his 80s – he simply mouthed the words. His 90th birthday was spent downhill skiing.
He will be dearly missed by Elizabeth, his beloved red-head and wife of 28,010 continuous days and his four children; Kathryn (Jim), Paul (Sharon), Susan (Ian) and Ann (Ian), as well as 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren, many of whom believe their name is “Fred.”
Visitation will be held at Haskett Funeral Home, 223 Main Street, LUCAN on Monday, February 23rd from 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM, where a celebration of Monty’s life will be held at 12:30 PM. Cremation has taken place.
Donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family.
We are always willing to go where called upon but this image shows a visual of the communities that our included in our initial transportation fee. We offer a 40km radius from any of our 5 locations (Arva (London), Exeter, Lucan, Seaforth, and Zurich). Any mileage beyond the included 40km will be charged a rate of $2.50/km (one way travel only).
Jeff, Terri, McKenna & Kylar Vanderbeek
I’m so sorry to hear this. Monty and Liz were such sweet wonderful neighbours to us in Forest. There weren’t many outdoors projects that we attempted without having Monty as supervisor and we loved every minute! Our last project was defrosting the garage freezer together :) lol. He was one of a kind and our sincere condolences to sweet Liz and the family.
Jeff and Lynda Tye
Our Sincere Condolences on the loss of Uncle Gray to all members of his family. We will forever remember him for his thoughtfulness and generosity in helping with our Wedding photos and the loan of his and Aunt Liz’s cottage for our honeymoon. We will remember Gray for always. Again Sincere Condolences.
Ian and Carrie Reed
Dear Liz and family.
Our deepest sympathies on Monty’s passing.
Monty was an incredible person and his memory will live on through all the lives he touched in a life well lived.
Monty was a great friend to me and it was my pleasure to have shared a part of his life for all the time I’ve known him.
Love to all.
Susan & Randy Alexander
We always enjoyed hearing of Monty’s adventures and his jokes.
To Liz and all of the Family our deepest condolences.
He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Scott Jeffrey
We were very sorry to hear about Uncle Gray and we send our condolences to Aunt Liz and all of the Montgomery family members.
Nothing but happy memories of Uncle Gray from all of the Jeffrey family gatherings when I was young. They were always much more enjoyable when Uncle Gray was there. Despite the sadness of the occasion, I will admit that I had a chuckle when I got to the reference about “Fred”.
Sincerely,
Scott and Cynthia Jeffrey
Sally Van Straaten
I will forever have fond memories of Uncle Gray at the Jeffrey Christmas every year. As a child my self and then with my young children. We too, always thought our names were “Fred”.
You had such a lovely smile and always lit up the room with your stories and kindness.
I always know you were the guy in the red suit too. ;)
Love to all of the family and our condolences.
Sally Jeffrey Van Straaten and Mike and family.
Harold’s daughter.
Dorothy Shaw
The Shaws send heartfelt condolences to Liz and family. Our families were intertwined for many years in Brampton. Al and Joan were always in awe of Monty’s boundless energy, humour, and adventurous spirit. He lived life to its fullest, entertaining and astounding those who came into his orbit with his zest for life. It is hard to believe there can be a world without Monty, but the twinkle that we remember being ever-present in his eyes will now shine down from above. Please give Liz an extra special hug from her dear friend Joan, who is also turning 100 this year. With much love, Joan, Joanne, Janet, Bob and Dorothy
Helen Jeffrey Detlor
Aunt Elizabeth & my dear cousins;
My condolences to you Aunt Elizabeth.
Uncle Gray was a character, always a little story to tell or a funny joke.
Was the official photographer at family functions.
He instilled the sense of adventure in our cousins, as they also have explored the world.
Just this past Christmas, despite his failing health, he was chatting with us all
at StPauls.
Treasured memories
Rest in Pease Uncle Gray
Niece, Helen
Donna West
Dear Elizabeth. I,m sorry for your loss
of Monty.I wish I would have known him better.Donna Wst
Tom and Francine Watson
We will miss this great man, Monty, loved his spirit, loved his stories….our sincere condolences to the family with love .
Ellen Moss & Steve
Dear Su,
We are sending our heartfelt condolences for you and your family! It sounds like your Dad was a great guy and that he and your Mom had a wonderful life together.
Sincerely,
Ellen and Steve
(Moss & Merovitz
Ron and Lori Hodgins
Sorry for your families loss. We met Monty over 10 years ago thru our daughter Kandis !! He was such an amazing and inspiring person to know and always brought a smile to our faces !! RIP Monty 💕💕💕
Ward Burr
I always enjoyed visiting with Monty. He did a lot of work when he was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Forest, Ontario.