Obituary

Mary Margaret Montag, age 80, of Bellingham, passed away December 6, 2019. She was born June 22, 1939 to Roland and Ruth (Daesener) Montag.

Mary graduated from Bellingham High School in 1957. She pursued her college education at the University of Washington, where she was affiliated with Delta Gamma Sorority. Mary received her degree in Speech Pathology, where she worked with the deaf and hard of hearing. Her career took her to Frankfurt, Germany, where she worked in the American Schools for the Department of Defense.

Mary completed her Master’s Degree in Speech Communications while living abroad. Early on she met Winston Carter, history teacher and historian with DODS, and his daughters Chelsea and Brittany. Travel became a pastime for long weekends and vacations, along with skiing the Alps, collecting antiques, and of course driving that red Porsche racecar on the Autobahn.

In 1995 Mary retired and returned to her roots in Bellingham, where she resided with her mother Ruth. Her interests turned back to Lummi Island where the family fostered deep memories of the Red Cabin and Mary’s new home at Lane Spit.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Roland and Ruth Montag and niece Lisa Ann Montag.

She is survived by her brother Richard (Sheridan) Montag; her nieces Stacy Montag (and son Marcus) and Shannon (Brian) Funk (and children Briley, Christina, and Thomas); her nephew Steven (Tracy) Montag; her cousins Patricia Brown-Smith and Henrietta “Janie” Moseley; her life partner Winston Carter; his daughters Chelsea Carter and Brittany (Mirko) Sekulic; and her close friends Carol and Ted Van Zanden.

Mary was a lifetime member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Knox and 14^th. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Mary at Sacred Heart on Monday, December 16 at 10:00 a.m. Private family burial under direction of Moles Farewell Tributes will follow, with a public reception at 12:00 noon in the Whatcom Room at Moles Bayview Chapel, 2465 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham 98229.

The family extends their thanks and appreciation to visiting angels for their professional care and commitment to keeping Mary in her home.