February 16, 1944 ~ February 16, 2023
Dale Allen Montgomery, a beloved art teacher from Lee’s Summit, Missouri was born on February 16, 1944 near downtown Lee’s Summit to Lorene Zelma Buster and Robert Allen Montgomery.
Dale passed on his birthday, February 16, 2023 due to a heart attack which was brought on by a car accident. Dale was returning home (Lee’s Summit) from St. Louis after visiting with family when his truck lost control crossing an icy overpass.
He is proceeded in death by his Mother (Lorene Buster), Father (Allen Montgomery), and Uncle (Everett Lee). He is survived by his son (Kurt Montgomery), his siblings (Robert Montgomery and Marita Emmett), nephews (Scott Montgomery, Ryan Montgomery, and Charles Emmett), niece (Lisa McCain), many cousins, and many friends.
Dale graduated from Lee’s Summit High School class of 1962 as a student athlete. He would later attend the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg where he found his passion for drawing and pottery. He received a Masters of Education with an emphasis in art, specializing in ceramics, from UCM. He was drafted in to the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era as an infantryman. While in basic training he earned a distinguished achievement for taking zero losses during the pugil stick exercise and he would later be selected to relocate to Huntsville, Alabama to assemble missile guidance packages for the Patriot and War Hawk missiles.
After completing his service to the U.S. Army Dale relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. Previously, he had found a love for the desert while on a college road trip with friends. He would often say, “There’s no place like it. The weather is amazing, you can dirt bike or four-wheel in the desert then go three hours north to ski Brian Head. You can’t beat it.” While in Vegas, he became a successful real estate agent, a beloved teacher and coach, and a casino gaming dealer during the summer months. He loved to share his Vegas stories and would often talk about the people he befriended. He would reminisce over experiences with a sense of longing, believing that one day he would return to the desert. He would say with a smile, “You know that movie Casino with Joe Pesci and De Niro? I was there when all that happened in real life. I know all those old casinos that are now gone. That ‘Hole in the Wall Gang’ was really going on. It was a different time and a different place back then. It was a good time.”
In 1987 Dale accepted an art teacher position at Lee’s Summit High School and relocated back to Kansas City, Missouri. In the summer months he chose to re-live Vegas nostalgia as a gaming dealer at the Argosy and Harrah’s casinos in KC.
In September of ’87 he would become a father to Kurt Montgomery. He was very proud and would always find a way to turn any conversation in to stories about his son. Dale was a cherished member of the community, and could tell you in detail the history of Lee’s Summit.
Throughout the years, his former students would stop by his house to visit, or stop him out in public to, literally, pick him up off the ground to hug him. To say that he had a tremendous positive impact on the people around him would be an understatement.
Dale retired from teaching ceramics at LSHS in 2003. After retiring, he became a car salesman, a car hauler (with his own rig), an art teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, a cross country truck driver (transporting ice cream), and an antique dealer.
Dale loved the Army, teaching, coaching, art, movies, old westerns, genealogy, antiques, history, auctions, the Royals and the Chiefs, motorcycles, traveling, camping, skiing, racquetball, HyVee breakfast with the coffee crew, his hometown, his country, his creator, his friends and his family, warm weather, women and donuts.
There will be a celebration of life for Dale at The Stanley Event Space in Downtown Lee’s Summit on April 12th, between 2:00PM and 4:30PM.
