Slinger, Wi – William “Spider” Montag, 78, passed away on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton surrounded by family. He was born on February 19, 1946 to Raymond and Bertha (nee Mueller) Montag.
After graduating from Slinger High School in 1964, he served in the United States Air Force for five years. He began his 40-year career in factory maintenance with Chrysler Outboard in Hartford and eventually retired from Wacker in Menomonee Falls in 2008. As a proud union member throughout his career, he volunteered in various capacities to support his fellow employees.
He married Cindy in 1977 and they proudly raised their children who each found happiness and independence in their own way. Although their son Mark was taken from the family too early, they were very proud of what he had accomplished. Together, Spider and Cindy enjoyed stamp collecting, landscaping, gambling in Las Vegas, and drinking socializing around town.
Spider always had a joke or story to tell and will be remembered for his extraordinary gift for connecting with others anywhere he went. But his home was always St. Lawrence where he served his community in many ways, including 60 years with the volunteer fire department; 50 years with the American Legion; lifetime member of the St. Lawrence Catholic church where he sang in the choir, taught CCD, and served on the church council; and in local politics, where he spent nearly 50 years as the “official” Mayor of St. Lawrence, which included distinguished appearances in the annual SLFD parade.
Spider enjoyed puzzles, supervising home renovations, being a sideline participant in family game nights, birdwatching, gardening, and hunting gophers. He collected coins, spiders, Statue of Liberty items, and old junk that nobody else wanted. He also enjoyed watching NASCAR, Packers, Brewers, and Gunsmoke re-runs.
Spider is survived and forever loved by his wife of 47 years, Cindy (nee Schmitz); children, Bill (Sandy) Montag of Quakertown PA, Patrick Montag (Toan To) of Powell OH, Jamie (Mike) D’Amico of Kewaskum WI, and Tami Montag-Smit (Brandon Smit) of Bedford MA; grandchildren, Billy Montag, Rylie, Kaylynn and Logan D’Amico, Magnus and Skylar Montag-Smit; siblings, Marion Sage, Marge Les Monde, Tom, Ray (Kathy), Fritz (Mary), Lucy Campbell, Joanie Richardson, Chris Zommers and Suzy (Dan) Knutson; siblings-in-law, Carol Montag, Kris (Jeff) Philippi, Steve Schmitz, Char (Bob) Rosandich, Randy (Roni) Schmitz. He is further survived by many other relatives and friends.
Spider is preceded in death by his son, Mark; his parents, Ray and Bertha Montag; parents-in-law, Ed and Rita Schmitz; siblings, Pat (Rollie) Dueno, Rita (Dave) Theisen, Kathy (Emil) Persha, Tony (Emmy), and Hubie; siblings-in-law, Chuck Sage, Jerry Les Monde, Marilyn Montag, Jim Campbell, Jerry Richardson, John Zommers; and Mark’s heart recipient, Joan Marks, and her husband, Ken.
We would like to thank his caregivers, the second floor ICU nurses and doctors and third floor nurses at Grafton Aurora Medical Center, and the Fresenius Kidney Care Slinger staff, for enduring his antics and managing his healthcare with compassion and grace.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 6:00pm on Friday, November 22, 2024 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church (4886 Hwy 175 Hartford, WI 53027) with Rev. Richard Stoffel and Rev. Nick Dhein presiding. Visitation will be at church Friday, November 22 from 1:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Burial will be Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 9 a.m. at St. Lawrence Cemetery with Military Honors.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are appreciated to Honors Inc. for a named scholarship in memory of Mark A. Montag: https://www.honoursinc.com/donation-form
