William Ray Montgomery

OBITUARY

William Ray Montgomery

1915 to 2007

William Ray Montgomery was born on April 30, 1915 to Joseph Ray Montgomery and May Cecil Schlott Montgomery in Seattle, Washington. He was the first of five brothers. In 1918 he came to Orcas Island with his family and has been a permanent fixture on Orcas with the exception of three years in Los Angeles, California and two years in Bow, Washington.

Bill's parents came to Orcas to run a farm for Bill Norton where the Four Winds camp now stands. In 1919 they purchased the property that currently includes the Frank Richardson Bird Sanctuary and north to the shoreline of Cormorant Bay in Deer Harbor. Bill and his brothers were raised on this farm, which was primarily a truck garden, providing produce to the island and various sites on the mainland. He graduated from Orcas Island High School in 1934.

Two years after graduation he went to Los Angeles where he worked for Helms Bakery. He met Dorothy May Sims and they were married on June 18, 1938. In 1940 he returned to Orcas Island with his bride and new daughter Natalie. They had purchased the family farm and worked the farm to make a living. Their first son, Ron, came along in 1941 and second son Mark arrived in 1945.

It became increasingly difficult to make a complete living from the fruits of farming on Orcas, so Bill took jobs in a variety of other fields including the Deer Harbor Salmon Cannery to make ends meet. In 1952 he accepted the position of Estate Supervisor on the Edgar Kaiser Estate near Pole Pass. He served in this capacity until 1961. For the next several years he worked in the construction trade as a carpenter during the winters and was cook on a fish tender in Alaska in the summers. This continued until 1964 when his wife Dorothy suffered a brain aneurism that left her partially paralyzed. Following this he needed to stay on the island to provide care for Dorothy.

In approximately 1964 he began working in the construction trade, eventually forming Montgomery Construction. He and his crew built many houses on Orcas Island over the next 20 years. In 1983 he decided to retire at the age of 68. Bill and Dorothy loved to travel. A trip to Israel, cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean were included with many trailer trips to the American southwest. After Dorothy passed away in 1992, Bill continued his travels, touring the United States, the United Kingdom and making two trips to China, where he climbed the Great Wall.

A strong Christian faith was an integral part of his life. He served many years as an Elder of the Orcas Island Community Church, a Sunday school teacher and Sunday school superintendent. He also served on the Council of The Firs (Christian Conference Center) in Bellingham and as a member of the Island Camp of Gideons International.

He was well known for his two primary hobbies, growing flowers and collecting friends. Both of them provided him with great pleasure and often he was able to combine the two by sharing the beauty of his garden with others.

Bill is survived by his brother Dick, his sister-in-law Rosa, his daughter Natalie and her husband Jim Warren, son Ron and his wife Vicki and son Mark. He has six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Bill died peacefully at home on July 20, 2007.

A Memorial Celebration will be held on Saturday, July 28, 2007 at 12:15 p.m. This will be preceded by a Graveside service at the Wood Lawn Cemetery for close family and friends at 10:30 a.m. For further details regarding the location of the Memorial Celebration please call 360-376-4207. Memorial gifts may be given to: The Firs, 4605 Cable Street, Bellingham, WA 98226, or Gideons International, P.O. Box 1234, Anacortes, WA 98221.Arrangements are in the care of Evans Funeral Chapel and Crematory, Inc., Anacortes, WA and San Juan Islands. To share memories of Bill, please sign the online guest register at www.evanschapel.com

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