Letters to Gregorio
From the FamilyWith Love
My Darling Daddy,
As I sorted through photos and documents, I found this handwritten sheet in your writing. You talked about the day when you fixed my doll, Hado. I remember how amazed I was that you repaired her. I knew that day you could do ANYTHING, and if I asked you, it would get done. You have been a shining example to me of God the Father’s love, because you taught me what a loving father should be. I’m very grateful for that.
Your contributions to my life will always echo in my heart, and in those of my children. I can’t adequately express my gratitude for the love you showed not only Grace and Eddie, but also Jeremy, Janine, Jason and Jewelene. Thank you for opening your arms to my new family. I honor you today, and love you with all my heart.
Forever,
Nonita
FROM NONA
FROM LARRY
Papa,
Thank you.
Thank you for teaching duty, honor and love of truth. Thank you for planting the desire to discern right from wrong. Thank you for the life’s lessons that taught me:
To love God.
To love my wife.
To love my children.
To be faithful.
To always be thankful.
To be loyal to the good.
To pray for my family.
To pray for my friends.
To worship God.
To sing His praise.
To work.
To think.
To build.
To fix.
To strive.
To give unselfishly.
To tithe faithfully.
To shun vanity.
To shun foolishness.
To shun the love of money.
To shun the desire for fame or infamy.
To shun the desire for position.
To stand for what’s right.
To repent when I am wrong.
To say, “I’m sorry.”
To ask forgiveness.
To help those that can’t.
To serve God.
To serve others.
To always do the right thing, no matter the cost.
Dad, thank you for a life that gave me a song—even the song of victory.
Your ideals were not in vain. By the grace of God may your high standard and your moral compass live on through all your progeny; your voice is always remembered and never forgotten.
Querido Papá, siempre me esforzaré por ser el hijo de Proverbios 28:7,
Con todo amor y respeto,
Tu hijo,
Larry
Dad was my hero for many reasons. He gave me a good life from birth until adulthood. As a young kid I never wanted for anything, my dad bought me everything. I was an only child for many years, and I was his junior. Dad taught me to work hard, and he taught me to play guitar at age 10. My first song was Spanish Cavalier. It took me only a week. Dad and I had a great time during this learning process.
Dad taught me how to drive at 15. We went out for our first trial run and dad said to listen to his commands. He said; “When I say stop, you stop.” This all took place in Washington on a paved road. Dad said, “STOP!” Well, I did not stop. He said, “I told you to stop and you didn’t. If someone was in front of us you would have killed them.” We continued and again, dad said, “STOP!” Well, I slammed on the brakes so hard that dad hit his head on the wind shield. I stopped. Lol!
Dad taught me how to hunt and fish. He and I went hunting in the woods of Washington. We hid in the bushes, waiting for a deer. Well, we got our deer and dad shot it. Dad cleaned the deer and we brought it home. We didn’t shoot for pleasure. He taught me that we hunted to put food on the table. He and I went fishing in Washington as well. Dad always caught fish, I never did.
Dad was always kind and gentle. Mom was the one that disciplined me. But I knew when dad was angry!
I always wanted to make dad proud of me. That meant the world to me. He was my HERO.
Losing my father was like losing the only hero in my life. He meant the world to me.
The journey that continues without my dad will be hard, but one thing that can never be taken from me is our memories. I will cherish those forever and ever.
Greg Montano, Jr.
FROM GREG JR.
FROM EDDIE
I love my grandpa and all the life lessons he has taught me.
Lessons of honor, integrity, humor, love, and God. Though I consistently miss the mark, I strive to follow in my grandpa’s footsteps and live a similar life.
I am very grateful to have such a great man as my grandfather. He taught me how to fish, and according to the saying, has fed me forever. He taught me how to play guitar, and by doing so, gave me one of the greatest outlets I could ask for.
When he visited me in San Diego, he said, “Mijo, you may not carry the Montaño last name, but my blood still runs through you, and we Montaño’s have a saying: ‘Once is enough.’” These simple words helped me out more than he may know.
My grandpa, my hero, Gregorio Montaño!
Eddie
Dear Grandpa,
Ever since I can remember, you have been there. As I recall my earliest memories, I think of the beautiful music coming from the guitar and richness in song from your voice. The spirit of God always near as you sang His praises. The joy you always had whenever you saw our faces is forever imbedded in my mind. I can still hear your voice as you would say, “give my love to the girls” as you talked with my dad on the phone. In all these memories, I know there was so much more to your life and everything that shaped you to become all those sweet memories in my mind.
We have heard many stories about your service in the military and America has been so blessed you have your honor and commitment. You’ve been a hero time and time again. But even more than that, you have withstood the tests and trials of your personal life, held the faith, let the Lord lead you through the truth of One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. Thank you for the legacy of love you have given our family. Thank you for leading your family into the Truth. Thank you for raising my daddy to be the best daddy a little girl could ask for. Thank you Grandpa, for being Our Hero! I love you!
Love,
Nikki
FROM NIKKI
FROM SARAH
My handsome grandpa,
You have always been a source of pride in my life. And hopefully not the kind that goeth before destruction. I was proud to say that you were career army, and that you had served our country. I was proud to say you were an excellent musician and singer. I was proud to say that you were out fixing the sprinklers on your 93rd birthday.
You are a strong man, a man of faith and values, an upright man. You are a man of correction, but also gentle. As a little girl, I remember spending the night with you and Grandma and playing a game of checkers with you. I remember being very upset when I inevitably lost, and you, a gracious victor, gently comforting me. On the flip side though, I also remember you having to hit your male cow when he charged you, and then eventually the neat white packages he made in our freezer.
Along with the grass fed beef I remember there always being starter plants around and fruit trees. I believe you are the reason I like plants and have a small green thumb. Your knowledge of horticulture, some of which you passed to my dad, trickled down to me one yard project at a time.
You are part of the reason I’ve always had a desire to see the world. Growing up hearing stories of when you lived in Italy, of an eventful road trip from Panama, pictures and letters from your friends in Germany, and you always saying danke schön, opened my eyes to the world around me. I also loved the stories of a young Greg and Armida, especially the one of you two singing “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” in church before you were married, to the indignation of some members.
You and grandma are the reason me and Nicole sing. What a gift to be passed down. Sometimes when I hear an acoustic guitar I think of yours and grandma’s beautiful voices harmonizing and I feel a twinge of nostalgia. I’m taken to a simpler time where I sit at my place at your dinner table, you at the head, grandma to your right, and me in between.
Of all the stories perhaps the most important is the one of your return to God, a decision that affected your family, and many years later, me. All of this I hold close to my heart and in my memory. It is part of my history, part of my heritage.
As you can see Grandpa you are so much a part of what makes me who I am today. So many things, large and small, you have passed down to a blessed and fortunate family. What an honor it is to have you as a Grandpa. A family loved, a country served, and a life well lived for God. So as I have been proud of you, I hope that one day you will look down from your greenhouse in heaven, and be proud of me.
Love Sarah
My Most Dearest & Amazing Grandpa,
Words cannot express everything that is on my heart that I wish to tell you. I sit here and tears just keep pouring down my face because the thought of life without you in it breaks my very heart.
I know that you are ready to go home and I know that you will be at peace with our LORD Jesus and that makes me so very happy and brings me comfort, but I am only human and will still miss you with all my heart.
The summers I spent on your ranch are some of the best memories of my life. I loved going there and helping you tend the animals and gardens. Fishing was and still is one of my favorite pastimes. I shock many people when they find out that not only can I fish, but clean one too and I always tell them that you taught me how, and I’ve never forgotten how. I still plan on buying an acreage myself just so I can mow the lawn with a tractor like I loved doing at the ranch, lol. I remember when the house was being built at the ranch and how we lived in the motor home, but you took it upon yourself to build a nice room with a carpeted floor that was comfortable for us to sleep in while we waited for the house to get finished. You always went out of your way to do kind things for us, grandma, and the animals on the ranch–Like make grandma a garden where she could plant her flowers, build us kids a treehouse when we came to visit so we had something to climb on or that time we found Tiger, an abandoned cat over by the lake, and you let us take her home and you ensured she was safe and warm in the barn while she acclimated to us and stayed–If you ever saw a need, you would do something about it right away to ensure we were comfortable and happy.
Your resourcefulness and self-reliance are such an inspiration to me, I too plan on having a workshop to build and fix things like you. I hope you know that you have inspired me in so many ways my entire life and I am so grateful to have had you in my life as long as I have.
I talk about you a lot to my friends out here and I tell them how you loved Grandma so much, that when she was sick, you re-enlisted in the Army after already serving 4 years during WW2 so that she would have proper medical care, stayed enlisted for over 20+ years and retired a faithful husband and patriot whom I am proud of with all my heart.
Thank you for instilling the love and fear of God into us and always giving us an example of what it is to love the LORD and serve Him daily. My life will forever be changed in the greatest possible way because Jesus is the LORD of my life and I always hear your and grandma’s voice telling me to never forget the LORD.
Thank you for putting your life on the line to protect our family and this country, Grandpa. You are my favorite Veteran and I hope you know that I will forever be grateful to you for all the things you have said and done for this family, including the things unseen that you did behind closed doors praying and seeking the LORD for.
Thank you for living the most wonderfully blessed life that you did in front of myself and the entire family. Your shining example of what a husband, father and grandfather should be will always be the one I look to in all things. I never once saw you raise your voice at Grandma or call her names. You loved her and continued loving her with everything in you and it blessed me in more ways than one. I want you to know that the song you wrote for Grandma, Ven Conmigo is so special that I will be playing it at my wedding when I get married to the man that God has for me.
I will forever keep you in my heart Grandpa. I promise that I will never stray from the LORD and that He will always remain the center of my life. I promise to marry a man of God who will take care of me, protect me, and love me the way you did for Grandma. I look forward to seeing you again. I love you, Grandpa, with all that I am.
Your Loving Granddaughter,
Gracie