Ruben Belardo Montoya

Ruben Belardo Montoya was born to CS1 Mariano Cortez Montoya, US Navy Retired, and Marcaria Belardo Montoya in 1936. He is survived by his wife Marietta Daya Montoya and children: Maria Montoya Russo, Michael Russo (son-in-law), John Paul Montoya and Dr. Carly Montoya (daughter-in-law) in addition to his 6 grandchildren; Michaela Russo, Malana Russo, Mason Russo, Jakob Ruben Montoya, Michael Montoya and Sawyer Montoya. He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings.

Born in Silang, Cavite, Philippines Ruben was an alter boy as a child. He would share many stories of waking up early each morning to ring the town’s church bell and having Irish priests as mentors in his life. He attended University of the East and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1958. His first job after college was with Maresk Line, a Danish cargo company, for 6 years as a merchant marine. He transitioned to working on a cruise ship for 4 years as a steward. He loved traveling and traveled to many countries all over the world. In 1968, Ruben came to America in search of better opportunities for his future. At the age of 32, he came to America with one suitcase and $50 in his pocket. He landed his first job in the United States at Standard Products as Inventory Controller. His closest friends from this era, he calls his brothers. They worked together and built a strong brotherly bond when on cargo ships and the cruise ships.

He met his best friend and wife, Marietta, at a party in Brooklyn in 1971 and married her the same year. Their first apartment together was in Brooklyn, New York. In 1976 they bought their first house in Central Islip, New York, Long Island where they raised Maria and John Paul. Ruben worked towards becoming an American citizen and was naturalized in 1983. After many cold winters in New York, Ruben and Marietta decided to move to warmer weather on March 13, 1987. They invested in an apartment complex in Phoenix before moving to Scottsdale, Arizona. Ruben and Marietta spent a lot of their time in Payson, Arizona. They loved the cabin they built together, the quiet time away from work and the beautiful weather. He met some of his closest friends in Arizona when attending Samahang Bayanihan, an Arizona Filipino American organization. Ruben and Marietta enjoyed celebrating holidays, doing philanthropy work and attending social gatherings with Samahang Bayanihan friends. He retired from the Arizona State Department of Transportation in 2001. After retiring, Ruben and Marietta moved to Buckeye, Arizona where they met the infamous Simbang Gabi group, then they later moved to Sun City, Arizona where they enjoyed countless late-night card games with the 31 gang. Ruben loved gardening, watching basketball, dancing and taking Sunday drives in his Corvette.

Ruben was a strong-willed man, with a good sense of humor and a contagious smile. He had control over each part of his life. He had a warm heart, very generous, and loving. He had a strong faith in God and loved his friends and his beautiful family. At the age of 84 he died from heart failure in the presence of his loving family.

In lieu of flowers, please make your donation to Prisoners of War and Missing in Action (POW/MIA) foundation at www.dav.org or American Heart Association at www.heart.org in memory of Ruben Belardo Montoya.