Bill Montgomery passed away November 9th, at Integris Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City. He was born April 15, 1939 in Memphis, Tennessee. He proudly owned and operated Russell’s Barber Shop on Classen Blvd for the past fifty years.
He is survived by Mary Brundage-Montgomery; daughters Jimmie Lou Montgomery and Mary Angel Ungericht; son, David Brundage; and granddaughter, Mary Maegan Brundage. He was preceded in death by his son Roger Brundage.
Visitation will be November 13th, 8am through 8pm, with family present from 6-8pm at Hahn-Cook Street & Draper Funeral Directors. Funeral Services will be held Thursday, November 14th, 11am, at Hahn-Cook Street & Draper Funeral Directors. Bill will be laid to rest in Rose Hill Burial Park. To leave condolences please visit hahncookfuneral.com
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Bill Montgomery was born April 15, 1939 in Memphis, Tennessee and was lovingly raised by Lois and J.W. Brown. Bill and his parents moved to Gans, Oklahoma when he was 5 years old. Bill was a popular high school basketball player, however that didn’t keep him out of trouble! He fondly told stories of his step-father taking strong measures to keep young Bill on the ‘straight and narrow’.
Bill began cutting hair in the kitchen of his family home for spending money. Soon after he graduated from high school, he moved to Oklahoma City to attend Barber College. While attending college, he was offered an apprenticeship by the owner of Russell’s Barber Shop, the business he later purchased. He proudly owned and operated that barber shop for the rest of his life.
Once his position at the barber shop was secure, Bill married a home town girl from Gans, during which time they had a beautiful daughter named Jimmie Lou Montgomery.
In addition to his earlier ‘hobbies’ of smoking, drinking and playing pool, from which his parents had desperately tried to break him, Bill’s interest in drag boat racing and classic cars developed; as did his life long friendship with Lonnie Combs. The two young men had many notable escapades together and they enjoy sharing the tales with their many children and grand children.
As the song goes, ‘Then along comes Mary’! Eating his meals at the local pharmacy café on Classen Blvd, along with the other locals in downtown Oklahoma City, Bill’s head was turned by Mary Brundage, the beautiful manager of the nearby Safeway store. His many attempts to catch her eye eventually succeeded and their love story began. Bill and Mary had over 40 years together in which they shared their lives and have many happy memories. Although Bill was still indulging in some of his wild ways, Mary was able to tame the beast a bit. However, nothing succeeded with finality until the birth of their grandchild, little Mary Maegan Brundage.
Bill said that he fell in love with Maegan the first time he held her and she gazed up at him with her sparkling brown eyes. From the bond he formed with Maegan, a change occurred in Bill that no other person he loved was able to create. As Maegan grew, he learned how easily adults can influence a child’s life and their understanding of the world.
When Maegan was about 18 months old, she reached for Poppie’s favorite ‘drink’. He said he never moved so quickly in his life as he did when he whisked away his ‘drink’ from her little hands. That very moment he stopped drinking alcohol and never had another drink. His love for Maegan also helped him break his smoking habit. Bill began taking his role in people’s life seriously and he helped raise Maegan into the wonderful young lady she is today.
Bill did his best to positively influence the young people in his life and help them when they were troubled as he had been. If you look around the room today, you will see several young men and women whom he helped to develop their interests in classic cars, all the while, instilling a strong work ethic and passion to do the right thing. As Bill began working with young people, God began working with him. Bill finally understood how God works in our lives to help others through the tough times and keep them on the ‘straight and narrow’.
Through all of his hard work at the barbershop along with his passion for fishing, drag boats and classic cars, Bill was able to connect with many good friends, customers and family members that he was thankful for having in his life. And we are thankful that God brought him into our lives.
Bill passed away on November 9th, 2013 in Integris/Baptist Hospital at the age of 74. While we are relieved that he did not have prolonged suffering, we are saddened by our loss of his friendship, guidance and love. His presence will be missed by many people, for a very long time.
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