Richard Allen Montague

Richard Allen Montague, 52, of Bel Air, Maryland, passed away in his sleep on March 15, 2021. To his friends Rich was a hail fellow, well met. To his wife and three daughters he was simply a great husband, father and soulmate.

Rich was born on June 16, 1968 in Rockledge, Florida. The son of John Currie Montague and Sue Montague Kaynor. Rich and his family moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina when he was a very young boy. It was no doubt here where Rich and his younger brother Charles gained a great appreciation for the outdoors and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The family moved to Dover-Sherborn, Massachusetts in 1980 where Rich became a stand out high school basketball player and avid, life long Boston Red Sox fan.

Rich was a proud 1990 graduate of Washington and Lee University where he earned a degree in History. He carried his love for knowledge through life, and whether on the beach, in the backyard or on the sofa, he could often be found with a good book. Pat Conroy and James Michener among his favorite authors. While at college, Rich made lifelong friendships with classmates and especially with his fraternity brothers of Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI).

He moved to Baltimore shortly after he graduated college where he met his beloved bride, Meghan Corbett Montague, who he married on October 17, 2004 in Havre De Grace, MD. It seemed predestined that the Red Sox would win their first World Series a few short days after.

Rich had a passion for all types of “great” music. He had an eclectic taste for unique and deep tracks and often mused on the joy of listening to an album from front to back.

Rich really enjoyed travel by automobile. He loved the authenticity of taking in the food and drink of the places he and his family visited. It drew him to the local establishments where he felt right at home. Though not a native Marylander, he was usually the last to leave the crab table and could be caught the next morning picking through the leftovers to use in his now famous Maryland crab soup.

Rich had an endearing way of talking, often stringing several unusual words together in a sentence that, if you listened hard enough, almost made sense. Or to put it as Rich might, his loquaciousness had an inane verbosity that could be unseemly at times.

Rich also had a profound fondness and appreciation for smaller, rural communities. He and Meghan settled in Bel Air to raise their family. Rich, Meghan and their three daughters, Ruthie (Rudders), Eleanor (E) and Andie (His Golden Nugget), have become stalwart members of the greater Bel Air community. Rich cherished teaching his daughters to fish and taking hikes in the beautiful rural areas of Harford County, and whenever possible, they would bring their loyal and trusty dog Henry along. He was never happier than he was while spending time with Meghan and his girls.

For those who knew him well, Rich was an ardent fly fisherman, taking any chance he had to discover a hidden stream or return to a trusted riffle, pool or run on the Gunpowder. His approach to trout was meticulous. He also loved to hike and camp-out and just enjoy the great outdoors. For those who knew him really well, Rich was mildly eccentric and great friend who had a positive spirit rarely seen and a kindness that you could always count on. To those who loved him most, Rich was a unique and genuine person who sparked joy, empathy and love every time he stepped into a room. To Meghan, Ruthie, Eleanor and Andie he was merely the best husband and father anyone could hope for.

Rich is survived by his wife Meghan, daughters Ruthie, Eleanor and Andie; his father John Currie Montague, mother Sue Montague Kaynor and stepfather The Reverend Robert Kaynor; his brother Charles, sister-in-law Elizabeth, niece Zora and nephew Zeke.

Meghan, Ruthie, Eleanor and Andie ask that Rich's friends and family share a written memory, a photo, or a story to be placed in an album and cherished for years to come.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Rich’s name to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/maps/geography/chesapeake-bay-watershed.html or to a scholarship fund for his daughter’s education which is to be determined.