William Montgomery

William Blaine Montgomery, age 89, of St. Joseph, Michigan died on Monday, February 16, 2015 at Woodland Terrace in Bridgman, Michigan following an extended illness.

He was born at home in Buchanan, Michigan on September 28, 1925 to John M. and Teddy May (Rowley) Montgomery. His mother was a former one-room school teacher at the historic Gardner School, and both parents gracefully led the family through the Great Depression. Bill developed a love for the visual arts at an early age, and made his first darkroom out of a refrigerator box. Bill honed his photography and film development skills throughout his teens as an assistant at Smith Studios in Buchanan. Bill played the double bass at home with his family, and the sousaphone in school bands. Bill graduated from Buchanan High School in 1943, and began Army basic training shortly thereafter.

Bill served as a Private in the Army’s 86th Infantry “Blackhawk” division, which arrived in France in March 1945. It proceeded to Germany, where it took part in fierce fighting in the Ruhr area. It moved south where Bill and his fellow troops liberated the Attendorn civilian forced-labor camp. The camp provided labor to Nazi-controlled factories and housed up to 1,000 conscripted Polish, Soviet, and Czech laborers.

In early May, Bill photographed the still smoldering ruins of Berchtesgaden high in the Bavarian Alps. His company celebrated VE-Day with the discovery of Nazi General Hermann Göring’s private liquor collection. The division returned stateside, arriving in New York on June 17, 1945 and trained briefly in Oklahoma before leaving from San Francisco on August 24, 1945 for The Philippines. Bill was aboard ship in Leyte Harbor when the Japanese formally surrendered on September 2, 1945.

Honorably discharged, Bill returned to Buchanan and began work at Clark Equipment. In 1950, Bill joined Whirlpool Corporation, moving out of factory roles after being asked to design, photograph, and author the company’s first news magazine. Bill advanced through Sears sales, and retired in 1984 as Director of Physical Distribution. Bill innovated the use of bar code technologies to manage warehouse inventories and track product shipments.

It was at Whirlpool where Bill met Pauline Constance Gargano of Covert, Michigan, and the two were married April 23, 1955. Together they raised 4 sons and contributed to many community activities including school bands, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Boy Scout Troop 623, the United Way, and the Krasl Art Center. Following retirement, Bill served on the St. Joseph City Cemetery Board for 20 years, was president of the board of directors for Berrien County Gateway Rehabilitation, and volunteered as a management consultant for the Region IV Area Agency on Aging, and Twixwood Nursery in Berrien Springs. Bill was a long-time fan of family gatherings, classical music, technology & innovation, and Notre Dame football.

In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by four sons, Timothy of St. Joseph, William of Charleston, SC, James (Lori) of Atlanta, GA, and Ronald (Tiffany) of West Bloomfield, MI. Bill is survived by his 9 grandchildren – Amy, Blaine, Michael, Lauren, Richard, Matthew, Jenna, Cameron and Elinor; sisters Marie Kangas of Buchanan, and Ruthe Halbritter of Niles; many nieces and nephews; and daughters-in-law Cheryl Montgomery of Stevensville, Diana Montgomery of South Haven, and Denise Montgomery of Charleston, SC.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers John J. Montgomery and Paul C. Montgomery, both of Buchanan.

The funeral service for William B. Montgomery will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 20, 2015 at the Halbritter Funeral Home in Niles with Mr. Mike Gathright of Storyline Church officiating. Committal will be at Riverview Cemetery in Saint Joseph with Military Honors by the North Berrien Military Rites Team and the United States Army Honor Guard.

The family will receive relatives and friends at the funeral home on Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Contributions in memory of Bill may be made to the American Diabetes Association, or to your local animal shelter.

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