Thomas Miles Montague

Thomas Wilson Montague was born on August 27, 1933, in Amelia County, Virginia. Thomas graduated from Russell Grove High School, earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Virginia State University (VSU) in Petersburg, Virginia, and completed advanced training at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. During his time at VSU, Thomas enlisted in the United States Army ROTC, and pledged and became an active member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Thomas Montague was commissioned a second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1954 and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) in 1978. His 26-year military career spanned active-duty assignments in the United States and Europe. Additionally, he completed staff engineer assignments during the Korean War and Vietnam War. The U.S. Army commended LTC Montague’s service and outstanding performance through numerous citations and awards. Upon retiring from the Army, Thomas Montague launched his civilian career as a civil engineer at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (“METRO”) during the transit system’s early stabilization and expansion throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. He served METRO for 27 years planning, coordinating, and directing facilities design, construction, and maintenance. Throughout his life and especially during retirement, Thomas enjoyed golfing, watching sports, and actively serving the community through his Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Aesop Robinson Golf Club, the VSU Alumni Association, and at the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church (Washington, DC), where for more than 40 years he was an active member and remains a Trustee Emeritus. Thomas leaves behind to cherish his memories, his wife, Mamie; his daughter, Terri; his son, Thomas, Jr.; and grandson, Joshua. Thomas was predeceased in death by his parents, Robert and Mattie Montague; his eldest daughter, Stephanie; and six siblings. Thomas is survived by two siblings, Bernard Montague of Newark, New Jersey; Virgie (James) Reed of Mount Vernon, New York, and brothers-in-law, Carter Trueheart and Claude Bannister. Thomas will be missed by loving cousins, nieces, nephews, and a host of other family, friends, neighbors, caregivers, and colleagues.

Tributes

Thomas Miles Montague

August 27, 1933 - December 30, 2024