James (Jim) Albert Mont

Retired USAF Lt. Colonel James (Jim) Albert Mont, age 67, passed peacefully on Friday, January 28, 2022, surrounded by his family.
Jim, the middle of three children, was born in 1954 in Austin, Texas to Paul Mont, an Air Force and NASA engineer and Frances Mont, a homemaker. His friends and sisters remember him as a kind, quiet, exceptionally smart child with a mischievous sense of humor.
As a military brat, Jim moved frequently; his favorite tour was in Seville, Spain as a high schooler. Jim finished high school stateside in Marietta, Georgia where he met his future wife, Lauren. They were married in 1975 and had three daughters: Brianna, Chelsea and Laurie. Jim earned a master's in engineering from St. Mary's University and began his distinguished and decorated career as an Air Force Officer and Pilot. He served as a flight instructor, worked Presidential Detail for the Reagan Administration, flew medical evacuation missions, and finally served as the Commander of Chievres Air Force Base in Belgium. Jim was respected and loved by those who served with him in the Air Force, and he was well known for his motto: "leave it better than you found it." Jim retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2000 and began his second career as a Delta Airline Pilot, where he had the honor of bringing home a soldier who had been killed in the Vietnam War and had been missing in action nearly 50 years. He briefly went back into the Air Force after 9/11 and voluntarily accepted a dangerous deployment in Djibouti, Africa. He then returned to the airlines until he retired in 2015 to take care of Lauren as she battled cancer. After Jim lost Lauren in 2015 after 40 years of marriage, he found comfort in his grandchildren, flying recreationally, church, friends and travel. Eventually, he met and fell in love with his second wife, Caryn, who had recently lost her husband as well. The two created a beautiful new life together out of their mutual experience and love for each other. Jim will be remembered for his clear sense of purpose, service to his country, love for his family, quiet confidence, sense of humor and kindness.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, Paul Mont and his first wife, Lauren Mont. He is survived by his wife, Caryn Barre; mother, Frances Mont; sisters, Paula Mont and Jeri Eardley; daughter, Brianna Seago; son-in-law, James Seago; daughter, Chelsea Mont; daughter-in-law, Elise Mont; daughter, Laurie Puryear; son-in-law, Andrew Puryear; grandsons, River Puryear, Lukas Mont, Laken Mont, and Rain Puryear; granddaughter, Story Puryear; and Caryn's family: son, Ryan Barre; daughter-in-law, Brigit Barre; son, Sean Barre; daughter, Branden Murray; son-in-law, Marke Murray; son, Brent Barre; and grandchildren, Brooks Barre, Brynlee Barre, Morgan Murray and Rebecca Murray.

A Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2022, at 10:30 a.m., at FRENCH - Westside, followed by a burial at 2:00 p.m., at the Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider donating to the American Brain Tumor Association in Jim's honor. https://give.abta.org/JamesMontTribute