Don Montoya

Don Montoya, born July 15th 1959, passed away June 16, 2022. Husband of Janice Montoya, Proud father to Felecia Montoya (Raul Ramírez) and Yvonne Montoya. Loving grandfather to Savanna, Ayanna, Natalie, and Isaiah Ramírez. Son of Tito Montoya (deceased) and Mary Montoya. Loving brother to Tito Montoya (Spouse Rita Arguello) Ray Montoya, Darlene Valdez (Spouse Ted Valdez), Chris Montoya (Spouse Merrie Hurtado). Also a loving Uncle to many nephews and nieces, Godfather to several, caring nephew and cousin, and friend to everyone.

Don was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico and moved to Denver as a toddler. Don grew up in the small Denver neighborhood of Swansea where he created a lifetime of memories with his siblings, cousins and friends.

Growing up, Don lived across the street from his young love Janice. Their families took care of eachother and behaved as true family to each other even before it was official.

Don became a father at 18, and immediately took the responsibility of husband and father seriously and moved his young family to a home in Broomfield. Don worked steadily in the construction field alongside his father for several years, as well as his brother-in-law, uncles and most proudly with his nephews during different periods in his career.

In 1985 Don and Janice proudly bought their first home in Thornton, CO near his parents where he resided for over 18 years. In 2003 Don and Janice moved to a larger home with a few acres in Brighton, CO where they housed the expanding collection of equipment, tools (and junk) that Don loved to acquire. In this home they also graciously hosted their family for holidays and special occasions over the years. Many lovely family memories were created in Don's home.

In 2018 Don and Janice moved to their current home back in Thornton.

Don will be remembered most for his undeniable work ethic. Truly one of the hardest working men many people have commented to know.

Don was a Bull and he would never shy away from a task, a job or a responsibility. He took pride in absolutely everything he did and it showed. He was always so proud and constantly bragging about the jobs he had done, upgrades he did to his homes, and projects he helped his family members and friends with. He wore his pride on his sleeve. Don had a creative mind and found ways to improvise with projects he faced in his field. He was an expert mason and had an amazing reputation for the historic mason work and preservation he did.

Don will also be remembered for his Macho demeanor. He was a self proclaimed “bad ass” and he challenged anyone to try him.
He stood his ground and never ever stepped down. For this he was respected by many and considered a reliable ally to his family first and his friends. Don had ZERO tolerance for disrespect and wasn’t afraid to say it out loud.

Don was a family man and he respected and protected his loved ones.

Don was proud of his culture and his heritage and represented his Native American roots with his clothing and jewelry.

Don was fond of himself and will also be remembered for always having a comb in his back pocket that he used multiple times a day.

Don loved music and loved to take the stage for karaoke whenever available. He thought fondly of his voice and loved the attention.

Don was most proud of his daughters and especially his grandchildren. For a man as macho as he was, God humorously gifted him two daughters. He loved on them immensely but also treated them roughly to ensure they could handle their own. He treated his grandchildren equally rough and had 3 more girls before finally received the gift of a grandson 14 years ago. He enjoyed living room boxing matches and being the live punching bag for his grandkids to practice their punching skills on. There was never a shortage of rough housing, bantering or tough love when Don was around.

Don was an amazing, wonderful, beautiful man and he will be missed by all he touched.