Michele F. Montague

On Monday, February 16, 2026, my mom, Michele Montague, left this earth in the most peaceful way you could imagine. After fighting her toughest battle with metastatic lung, liver, and brain cancer, she passed while listening to her favorite song, Volcano by Jimmy Buffett, with the windows open — just as she wanted — setting her spirit free.

Most people reading this didn’t even know my mom had cancer, because she kept that private for a year and a half. She never wanted help, yet would always go out of her way — no matter how she felt — to help others. She was incredibly proud and would tell anyone who would listen about her two grandsons, James Joseph and Jackson Hunter. They meant the world to her.

As her caregiver, I will never forget hearing her tell the doctor, “God doesn’t want me and the Devil doesn’t know what to do with me,” and at every appointment, how determined she was to beat this beast. She never gave up.

Even toward the end, she was still fighting.

My mother made it VERY clear she didn’t want any services. She didn’t want anyone crying over her or making her death a big deal. She said her goodbyes to the people who meant the most to her.

Thank you to everyone who made my mom smile — and to her bestie Nanci, you were her world, and she cherished your grandkids like they were her own.

For those who knew about my mom and checked in on me and the boys — thank you so much. And for those who called, dropped off food, showed up at my door, and helped ME care for her even when we said we didn’t need anything — I don’t have enough thank-yous or words. Please just know, from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate each and every one of you. I will never forget what you did, and you all mean the world to me. 

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