Dr. John E. Montoure, 86, of Meridian, Idaho, passed away Sept. 4, 2013, at a hospital in southern Idaho.
John was born on May 10, 1927, to the late John Karl and Lorena (Geise) Montoure on an 80-acre dairy farm near Shawano. He was the second child of 13. He grew up in the Shawano area and graduated high school in 1944. After being a farm hand for several years, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1946. While studying radar repair in Florida, he met Dorothy Sapp and married her in 1948. In 1949, he left the Air Force and moved back to Wisconsin. After the house he was building was blown off its foundation during a micro-burst in 1950, he decided to use the GI Bill to enroll at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. John graduated from UW-Madison in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree (dairy science), completing his master’s there in 1955. That same year, he moved his family to Pullman, Wash., to work on his doctorate at Washington State University. He graduated from WSU with his Ph.D. in 1961. He was hired shortly afterward by the University of Idaho, where he later became a professor emeritus in food science. In 1982, he switched to the Extension service at the U of I, traveling the state of Idaho consulting with food processors on food quality and safety issues.
In 1995, John lost his beloved wife, Dorothy, after 48 years of marriage. John finally retired in 1998 after 37 years of service at the U of I. During the 38 years he lived in Moscow, Idaho, John was involved in many service organizations, always partaking in leadership roles. In the 1960s, he shot a hole-in-one on the university golf course. John also had a love of fishing and spent many hours traveling the Northwest looking for the perfect fishing hole to try out one of his hand-tied flies. In 2001, he moved to Meridian, Idaho. In 2005, he married Karen Himes of Boise, Idaho.
John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Lorena Montoure; two brothers, Richard and Morris; his sister, Donna Hoeffs, of Bonduel; three brothers-in-law; Dorothy, his wife of 48 years; his only son, John Karl; and his grandson, David Tate, of Idaho.
He is survived by his current wife, Karen Montoure, of Meridian, Idaho; his four beautiful daughters, Sharon (Mike) Ennis, of Meridian, Susan (Mike) Cummings, of Clarkston, Wash., Carol Montoure, of Albion, Wash., and Patty (Dave) Shank, of Port Angeles, Wash., and their extended families. He is further survived by nine brothers and sisters: George (Kathy) Montoure, of Greenfield, Phyllis (Willy) Christensen, of Cecil, Doris Zeuske, of Shawano, Darlene (LeRoy) Marohl, of Shawano, Jeanette Lemke, of Cudahy, Karen Martens, of Appleton, Barbara (James) Thimke, of Shawano, Ronald (Kelly) Montoure, of Shawano, Larry (Joanne) Montoure, of Bonduel; a brother-in-law, Bob Hoeffs, of Bonduel; a sister-in-law, Virginia Montoure, of Shawano; and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in Shawano on Sept. 23, at 11 a.m. at Hope Community Church.
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