James Robert Montell

February 21, 1940- April 25, 2016

James (Jim) Montell passed away peacefully at home from complications due to Mesothelioma. He was lovingly surrounded by family and close friends. He was 76 years old.

Jim is proceeded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Vira Montell, his wife, Verna (Jean) Montell, and his brother, John Montell.

On July 3, 1979, Jim married his wife, Verna (Jean) in San Diego. He had lived in several parts of the United States before ultimately making Port Orchard his home.

Jim retired as a Chief after serving in the Navy for 22 years. During his tenure in the Navy, he loved the opportunity to travel; particularly to Asia when he was on a WestPac deployment.

Jim was a man of many passions: if he was interested in something, he immersed himself into it. He enjoyed traveling on his motorcycle with Jean, boating in the Puget Sound, playing video games (most recently World of Warcraft), playing poker, his 2015 Dodge Challenger, and building and flying radio control aircraft where he was a member of the Kitsap A.R.C.S. He was a dedicated Seahawks fan and enjoyed watching the games with his family. Jim was also a talented artist and had recently found relaxation in adult coloring.

He is survived by his sister, Karen Barber of Port Orchard; his brother, Kenneth Montell of Castro Valley, CA; his five daughters: Deborah Strickland of Redlands, CA, Regina Montell of San Diego, CA, Tamalya Montell of Portland, OR, Kimberly Montell of Bremerton, and Yvette Montell of Port Orchard; his son, Robert Montell of San Diego, CA; nine grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

Jim was a warm-hearted, generous, and compassionate person who was always thinking of others. Everyone who met him always felt as though they had been friends for years. He will be dearly missed.

I lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

As Jim would say, “GO HAWKS!”