Lasting Memories
Henry Close Montgomery III
Feb. 17, 1936-Dec. 22, 2016
Angeles City, Philippines
Henry C. Montgomery, III passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife, her family and many friends in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, on December 22, 2016. He was 80 years old.
Born on February 17, 1936, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Henry grew up with his parents (Henry and Margaret Montgomery) and two sisters, in Oxford, Ohio.
He loved to work and during his youth had many jobs including house painter, ice cream scooper and taxi driver. While being a taxi driver, he met his first wife, Linda.
After graduating with a degree in economics from Miami University of Ohio, where his father was a professor of classics, he and Linda relocated to New York City, where Henry began his career as a Senior Staff Auditor for Arthur Andersen & Co. This is where he discovered his love for accounting.
Between the years 1960 and 1970, Henry continued his career with ITT (1964 - 1967), McKinsey & Co. (1967-1969) and Laird Industries, Inc.
In February 1971, Henry relocated with his wife and two children from the East Coast to Portola Valley, California, where he became Vice President and Controller of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation.
During the 1970s and 1980s, he worked as a CFO and turn-around specialist for many companies, including Memorex Corporation, Saga Corporation, Pullman Inc., WordStar and Chuck E. Cheese, shepherding them out of the "red" and back to profitability.
In 1989 he established Montgomery Professional Services Corporation (MPSC), which provided outsourced accounting services to start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses.
In 2006, Henry saw the opportunity for outsourcing accounting services and began Montgomery Pacific Outsourcing LLC (MontPac) and moved from Portola Valley, to Honolulu, HI and eventually settled in Angeles City, Philippines, where MontPac is located.
In addition to running his own company, over the years, Henry served on many different Boards as a member and chairman. The companies included, but not limited to, Swift Energy Co., Catalyst Semiconductor Inc., Miami University Foundation and Honolulu Symphony Orchestra Society.
Henry was deeply loved by his friends and family for his warmth, humor, and optimism. His integrity, energy, and smile will never be forgotten. Henry was extremely generous, always ready to give his time and energy where it was needed among his community of extended family and friends. He was an incredible Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Brother, Uncle and friend.
Henry is survived by his wife, Blanka Montgomery, sisters Virgina Melin and Ann Montgomery (deceased), children Elizabeth Keelan (Vince Keelan), Monty Montgomery (Kristin Montgomery) and Margaret Montgomery; grandchildren Henry Montgomery V, Christine Keelan, Lauren Keelan and Jack Montgomery.
May 4, 2021
I worked with Henry at Memorex and he was always bigger than life. Today he came to mind for no special reason. Some people in our past are just like that. Henry was one of them. There were many and most are gone but not forgotten.
Feb. 23, 2021
PS to my previous observation. In my executive career years after working with Henry, when confronted by a difficult decision, my first thought always was “What would Henry Montgomery do?”
Feb. 20, 2021
I’ll second Mr. Meeker’s observation. He was the most insightful and funny guy I ever worked for. First encounter at McKinsey, where we were doing an engagement for Chase Bank. Walked into his office; he asked if I minded him having a manicure while we met. I assumed he had a manicurist scheduled, as many of us called in barbers and shoe shiners while we worked. But not Henry ... he pulled a set of nail clippers from his desk. He also managed to sprain an ankle in a Sunday afternoon game of football, which led him to avoid the office managing director for the next four weeks. We continued contact when he left, first to a nearby LBO firm, through his job at Memorex. Why California? As he related to me, his daughters wanted a pony, and even in suburban New Jersey, that was an impossibllity. rIP, Henry!11
May 23, 2020
When I received my MBA from Cal in 1977 and was hired by Memorex as a fledgling financial analyst, I had the great fortune to be assigned as the dedicated analyst to support Henry, as CFO. I am sure the lessons I learned from him were key to my career as a senior financial office in Silicon Valley (Diasonics, Cadence Design Systems, Metron [AMAT] and Nanometrics. Thank you, Henry.
Oct. 31, 2019
Mr. Henry Montgomery was always there for my family and I. He was a mentor and I looked up to him like he was my Pops and he was always giving me positive advice and life lessons before I left Hawaii for the mainland. He will forever be missed.
March 23, 2019
Henry was the most ethical businessman I ever met...and the best boss I ever had. Rest In Peace big man. Marty