Mark Montague (monty)

[mucktopus]

This is tragic news. He set a shining example for all of us to follow. His insights were always well thought out, and with the best intentions of helping the Tonmo community. Monty you will be missed. I hear the tank fills and octopus sightings are endless in the great beyond.

 

[corw314]

Tonmo.com II, Sarasota, Florida

 

[tonmo]

Thanks for sharing these great pics Carol and Olaf.

I've updated our Staff page to include a memorial for Monty. This will likely end up on its own page and further information will be forthcoming about the Mark Montague Awards ("the Monties") which will be presented at future TONMOcons.

 

[hallucigenia]

E-mail sent on to me from Nora today regarding the memorial service, for those who wanted to know:

_________________________________

We wish to thank the many friends and colleagues of our son, Mark
“Monty” Montague, who have expressed in posts, notes and in person
their appreciation of him and sense of loss at his untimely death. As
we try to fathom why he was taken from us when he had so much more to
give the world, we take comfort knowing that so many of you shared his
grace. We know too that he died doing something he loved with someone
who loved him.

We invite you to join us in celebrating Mark's life at a memorial
gathering at Dabney Lounge, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, California, at 1:00pm to 3:00pm on Mark's birthday,
Saturday, October 2nd, 2010. There will be time to gather and share in
Dabney Gardens after the service. Please also stop by for a toast of
Kraken rum and a "hobbit birthday" at Mark's house in Altadena later
in the evening of October 2nd.

RSVP to David and Nancy Montague at [email protected] or (650) 325-8019.

 

[tonmo]

Thank you for passing this on, V! I am unsure if I can make the trip but I know we will be joining in the Kraken toast virtually here on TONMO.

 

[Tintenfisch]

Sorry to chime in so late - Steve notified me of this tragedy on FB (hadn't managed to get on TONMO yet during this vacation). Like everyone else, I am shocked and deeply saddened - Monty was the best possible roommate at the last TONMOcon (especially considering we had never met in person before), and his presence and patented walls of text will be sorely missed online. I attach one of my favorite photos of him, appropriately standing next to a double-decker bus for scale.

 

[tonmo]

Great pic Kat - thank you!

 

[ceph]

Rest in peace Monty, you will be greatly missed.

James

 

[hallucigenia]

Just to add:

Anyone who wants Monty's parents' or girlfriend's address, e.g. to send condolences, should PM me for them -- I don't know if this forum is generally archived so I don't want to just stick them out on the web for spiders to pick up.

 

[Lmecher]

This is sad news indeed. Monty was the first one to welcome me to the Tonmo community. This a truely heartbreaking.

 

[sedna]

I have been so wrapped up in the girls this summer I haven't been checking in regularly and I only just read this tread. I so wish I'd had the chance to meet Monty! He is someone who is easy to shed tears for having only "met" him on line. I sent him a CD of rare Rush tracks and covers once, he responded immediately- with wit and friendship. RIP, Monty, and condolences to all your loved ones!

 

[MolaMola]

I was just looking at this site for info on cuttlefish and ran across Monty's profile, sparked my curiosity, and found this:
Index of /~monty
I live about an hour away from Monty, he seemed like a fountain of information and know how. I work in the Aerospace industry and it's a rarity to come across someone who really, really, really knows their s***. R.I.P.

 

[Hajar]

I am saddened to read this. I haven't visited this site for a long while, but just came out of the water after watching two beautiful cuttlefish amongst the corals off a local beach. This news was sobering. It's clear that Monty is greatly missed.

 

[squidly]

This saddens me greatly. I was watching TONMO about the time of the colossal squid thaw and for several months after that. Monty was always posting and giving updates. I feel that I really got to know him in that short amount of time....there is no doubt that his expertise will be missed.

 

[Dave Edelman]

I am deeply sorry--and saddened--to hear about Monty's passing. I first met Monty at Caltech, after a lecture I gave there on the scientific study of animal consciousness. He was incredibly brilliant, enthusiastic, engaged, and tremendously supportive of my fledgling efforts in the study of octopus brain and behavior. I really regret having not spent more time with Monty. I envy those of you who knew him well; even in my brief acquaintance with him, I sensed a depth of curiosity, vitality of spirit, and just plain generosity that, I'm sure, will be much missed in the world of cephalopod enthusiasts and beyond. My condolences to his family and to all of you, his friends...R.I.P., Monty.