Bill Montemer

Bill Montemer, our beloved husband, father, brother and uncle has left us far too soon. He is survived by his wife, Patti, sons Nick and Jimmy, brothers Jim (Jayne, Erik, TJ, Sam, and Max), and Gary (Juliet and Miles), and sister Tina (David Alcantar)

Bill touched all of us with his strong Christian faith, family commitment, free spirit, and immense creativity.

Bill was a caring husband and father to Patti, Nick and Jimmy. We founded Cub Scout Troop 007 (the James Bond Troop) at Lowell Elementary and Bill was Cub master over 8 dens. When Jimmy wanted to play soccer, Bill volunteered to be a referee despite not having an ACL in one knee due to a skiing mishap. There were numerous science projects and writing assignments where he shared his brilliant mind and writing talent with Nick and Jimmy. We took an approximately 1100 square foot home to over 2600 sq. ft as owner builders. We designed the floor plan, including numerous fine details, and did much of the electrical and finish work ourselves. Bill loved this house.

Bill traveled an intense spiritual journey, being raised Catholic, rejecting faith, and coming back with a commitment on fire. He said that when you reject faith so strongly, you come back even stronger. From Pentecostal prayer groups, to being a founder of the LA Archdiocese Young Adult Ministry, to long running contemporary music minister at St. Bartholomew Church (Long Beach), Bill had unwavering belief in God, his son Jesus Christ, and the Spirit. We are confident he left us praying and was welcomed by our Lord into His house with many rooms (John 14:2).

Bill also enjoyed travel including choosing South America as a honeymoon destination, having a timeshare in the Tuscan countryside, and numerous trips to ski resorts, Hawaii, and Europe. He particularly enjoyed experiencing the local culture. On our honeymoon we went to a bar to experience the local music in Rio just before 9pm. At 9pm the music stopped and he was so disappointed until we learned the next act started at 10pm. We were there until early morning, conversing with musicians from Argentina and other places in broken English, French, Spanish and Italian.

Bill impressed all with his creative brilliance. As a teenager he started a garage band with his brothers Jim (drums) and Gary (bass guitar), and classmates Mike Henkenius (guitar) and Rick Settles (guitar). Subsequently, he wrote more than 400 songs and several screen play scripts. One of the hardest things for him after a devastating car accident when he was 19 was the inability to play his guitar. He worked at it and overcame it. Over the past couple of years Bill would sit in with David Alcantar on his gigs. One of everyone’s favorite memories is Bill playing with his brother Jim and David’s brother John for a set at Tina and David’s wedding. Recently, he was working with a songwriter as a lyricist, as well as finishing a screenplay with an intriguing plot. He had so much creative output planned for the years ahead that his family, friends, coworkers, collaborators, and the world will not have the pleasure of experiencing.

Bill’s circle of friends include elementary and high school classmates, Young Adult/Music/Spiritual Direction ministries, coworkers, and peer screenwriters and musicians.

He will be missed by all, especially his wife, children, brothers and sister.

We love you Bill. We thank you for being in and touching our lives as you have. You will forever be in our hearts – until we meet again.

What Happened:

Bill has suffered for over a decade from adult onset asthma, usually triggered by environment conditions, particularly cold and contaminants in the air.

Saturday, 07/22/17 he dialed 911 with a severe asthma attach. When paramedics arrived they found him non-responsive. By the time they were able to get a heart beat again, nearly 50 minutes had passed. He suffered 5 more cardiac arrests over the next hour or so. Unfortunately, the extended time without a pulse, and limited oxygen from his lungs being in full bronchial spasm, resulted in extensive brain injury and eventually, death.

In lieu of flowers please make donations in Bill’s name to:

Mercy Corp: www.mercycorps.org

Children’s Tumor Foundation: http://www.ctf.org/