A memorial service for Jerry “Red” Montgomery, 52, of Portales, will be held at 10:00 AM, Sat., April 29, 2017 in the Floyd Gymnasium.
Jerry was born May 1, 1964 in Long Beach, CA, and died April 22, 2017 at his home near Portales. Red, as he was known to nearly everyone, lived the majority of his life in Roosevelt County. He graduated from Floyd High School in 1982. After high school, he worked for about two years on a fishing boat in Florida. After he returned to Portales he worked at various jobs until 1993, when he began working as a hoof trimmer on local dairies. At various times he had also worked as a government trapper, catching mountain lions and coyotes, and sometimes other smaller animals, like skunks, by accident. He had also driven trucks at different times.
On Jan. 17, 1992 in Portales, he was married to Goldie Russell. They had one son, but later divorced. Red enjoyed going fishing whenever he could. He loved animals, and was particularly fond of his several dogs. Gardening was a big source of enjoyment for him, and he grew lots of hot peppers and jalapenos. Grilling, riding horses and his motorcycles as well as boxing were other things that Red enjoyed.
He is survived by his former wife, Goldie Russell of Portales; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Royce Montgomery of Portales and Yancy and Sarah Swift of Centerville, GA; a daughter and son-in-law, Carissa and Joseph Dunn of Dayton, OH; two grandchildren, Arlo and Henry Dunn; his father and step-mother, Jerry and Sue Purdy of Temecula, CA and his step-father, Ed Ellington of Littlefield, TX; two brothers, Steve (Ceretha) Montgomery of Portales and Ricky Montgomery of Edgewood, NM; and two sisters, Sherry (Scott) Arnold of Portales and Lanell (Chris) Puckett of Pineville, WV, his grandmother Marylin Cox of Santa Maria, CA as well as several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother, Linda Ellington.