MONTFORT, John Gordon

Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, Arizona Thursday, January 05, 2012 John Gordon Montfort slipped peacefully away on January 3, 2012 in the presence of his loving wife, Peg, at the warm and comforting home of his son and family. John was born in Kansas City, Missouri on May 26, 1923 to Thomas Pierce and Gertrude Brockhaus Montfort. He was a child of the mid-west with simple tastes and high expectations of himself and others to live a life of integrity, achievement and contribution. To family and friends, John was truly a good man-long on responsibility and unselfish to the end. John was proud of his military service during World War II as a First Lieutenant in Patton's Army. He was part of the Battle of the Bulge as a member of the Artillery. John's life-long interest in engineering, problem solving and history had their roots in his military experience. John returned from the war and completed his degree as a Civil Engineer at Kansas University. He was a member of Theta Tau, the professional engineering fraternity. He married Margaret Rose Hansen on November 16, 1952 and together they embarked on a journey full of professional and personal triumphs and stumbles, through which John maintained his lovely and witty sense of humor and gratitude. John moved with his family to Flagstaff in 1969. He was President and General Manager of Black Mesa Pipeline and was challenged in the best way to run a completely new and bold coal slurry operation. He traveled to China, South Africa and Australia as an advocate for this new technology. John served two appointed terms with the Flagstaff City Council. He is remembered by his colleagues as the one who always did his homework. John was also a former FMC Board member and served as Board president. He was a Flagstaff Citizen of the Year in 1989. John leaves behind his beloved wife, Peg and four children, Becky Gibbs, Tom Montfort, Nina Marie and Margaret Montfort; devoted in-laws Bill Gibbs, Lela Montfort and Chris Grove; surrogate daughter Rose (Dan) Lawrence; grandchildren Juli (John), Krista (Kevin), Emily, Hannah, Parker, Austin and Tess; and great-grandchildren Jack, Cooper and Addy. A celebration of a life well lived will be held at Charley's in downtown Flagstaff at 9:00 AM Saturday January 7th. John was a long-time member of the Old Geezer's Coffee Group, so bring two-bits for the tip. The family requests donations in John's honor to Wounded Warriors Project or Hospice Compassus. Condolences can be sent to the family online at www.norvelowensmortuary.com. This obituary was prepared by the Advertising Department (928) 556-2279.