Fred Montoya entered the gates of Heaven on September 10, 2022. We are saddened by this tragic loss, but we are uplifted knowing our beloved Father, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather is with the angels and saints in Heaven. He is now reunited with those we lost before him, including his beloved Rosa. Just two days before he passed, he and “Mamacita†would have celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary. His 98 years on earth were filled with family, faith, love and happiness.
Fred was born on October 7, 1923, to Teresa and Antonio Montoya in Dawson, NM, a coal- mining “company town†in northern New Mexico. His father began working as a coal miner at the age of 13, and his parents taught him the value of hard work, grit, and determination. Although his parents had little formal education, they worked tirelessly for their four children.
After graduating from high school (the first in his family to do so), Fred served in WWII in the Army infantry. Upon his return, Fred took advantage of the GI Bill and graduated from the University of New Mexico as a civil engineer. His first job as an engineer was with the U.S. Geological Survey, and his first assignment took him to Tucumcari, NM, as a hydraulic engineer. Most importantly, he met Rosa, the love of his life, and it was love at first sight. Just six months after they first met, they married on September 8, 1951.
Fred and Rosa lived in Tucumcari for the first four years of their marriage, but then Fred was recruited by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His new position took them and their two young children, Regina and Robert, to Albuquerque, NM. Within the next three years, their family grew with the addition of two more sons, Victor and Andrew.
Fred remained with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers until 1985, when he retired. The following year also brought another change to his life: he became a grandfather. He helped his daughter, Regina, achieve her professional aspirations by being the “day caregiver†for his first grandchild, Jessica. He took Jessica to school, doctor appointments, the State Fair and everywhere else in between. Many kids from Lakewood Elementary and Hockaday fondly remember Grandpa Fred from their carpools.
Fred is survived by four children and their spouses and loved ones, Regina Montoya and Paul Coggins; Dr. Robert and Debbie Montoya; Victor and Deborah Montoya; and Andrew Montoya and his dear and special companion, Sharon Dillon; five grandchildren, Jessica Montoya Coggins; Aaron Montoya; Ryan Montoya and his fiancée, Valeria Santoyo Serrano; Heather Anderson and her husband, Phillip; and Stephen Montoya; and two great-grandchildren, Jett Jaykus and Zane Anderson. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
Fred is preceded in passing by his parents, Teresa and Antonio Montoya; his brother, Albert “Veto†Montoya (Mary); his sisters, Estela Esquibel (Caskie) and Refugia “Ruth†Trujillo (Nick); his sisters-in law, Hortensia Ortega (Tony) and Ester Madrid (Joseph); and his brothers-in-law, Juan (Paulita) and Enrique (Teresa). He is also preceded in death by Peter Anthony Montoya, his infant son. |