Paul Kenneth Montner

Age 63 of Albuquerque, born February 22, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, passed away February 4, 2012. Paul was a beloved father, son, and brother. He lived a successful professional and personal life, devoted to his family, especially his son, Marshall. He was an accomplished clinical, academic and research pulmonary physician. Paul also had an adventurous spirit and sought out physically demanding outdoor activities-from scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef and heli-skiing in Alaska, to hiking the Taos Ridges and skiing the Couloirs, to kayaking the white waters of the Colorado River. His intellectual curiosity and passion encompassed nature, history, science and world affairs. His greatest joy and singular focus for the last ten years was raising his caring, intelligent, and athletic son. He launched a second career providing expert counseling in Internal, Pulmonary, and Occupational Medicine to some of the top law firms in the US. Prior to that, he served as: Hospitalist at Presbyterian Hospital; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Division of Physical Performance and Development, University of New Mexico; Assistant Professor Dept. of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Physician, Pulmonary and Critical Care Division; Staff Physician, Pulmonary and Critical Care Section, Albuquerque Veterans Administration Medical Center. While in New York, he was Assistant Professor, Medicine SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn; Director of Critical Care and Staff Physician Pulmonary Division Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn; Instructor, Community Medicine Mount Sinai Medical School of Medicine. He obtained his Pulmonary Fellowship from Mount Sinai Medical Center; Master of Science in Physiology and Masters in Public Health degree from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. He received his MD from University of Chicago, and his BA from University of Pennsylvania. Among his many achievements: 3 patents related to an exercise regimen to enhance exercise endurance and performance; awarded a "special contribution" from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs; granted numerous funding awards from the leading pharmaceutical companies, including Glaxo Wellcome, SmithKline Beecham, Abbott Laboratories and Boehringer Ingelheim. His manuscript and abstracts were published in peer review journals, including Lung, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; and Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and Journal of Exercise Physiology. Survived by son, Marshall; parents, Leo and Charna Montner of Boynton Beach, FL; sister Debra Montner and husband Michael Smith of Westport, CT; brother-in-law Sam Silverman of Gloucester, MA, and ex-wife Lori Lynn Slack of Albuquerque. Paul is preceded in death by his sister, Karen Montner-Silverman. He led a philanthropic Jewish life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), or Jewish National Fund (JNF). Services will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 11:00 a.m., at French - University Chapel. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery. (505) 823-9400