Laura Montoya

Our loving Mother, Laura Jane Montoya, passed peacefully in her sleep on Monday morning, April 21, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was only a month away from her 99th birthday. She was a friendly, vivacious, elegant, and outgoing woman who was blessed with family and many friends throughout her lifetime.

Mom was the first-born daughter, Laura Jane Engblom, to Walter and Amy Engblom on May 22, 1926. She grew up in a rural farming community in Mora, Minnesota, during the Great Depression in a one-room log house along with her parents and siblings Ray, Jim, Joyce, and Laverne. She learned everything about farming, raising livestock, cooking, sewing, quilting, and teaching.

After graduating from high school in 1944, Mom worked at the Char-Gale plant in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to support the War effort as a C-46 fuselage riveter, "Rosie the Riveter." She used her earnings to travel with her best friend Lois Halverson to visit Lois's sister and brother-in-law stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Loving New Mexico, Mom landed a job as a switchboard operator for Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1946. She met our Dad, Paul (Pablo) Chavez Montoya, in 1947 and the rest is history!

Our parents married in 1948 and moved into a small house on Roma in downtown Albuquerque. They built their first home on Cutler NE in the Hoffmantown neighborhood just in time to start their family. Mom resigned from Mountain Bell when Sonja and Eric came along in the early 1950s. By 1959, our parents decided to purchase a new home on Stardust Drive, in the Mossman Gladden Stardust Skies edition. Our family settled in the new home in 1960, and Amy came along in 1965.

Growing up on Stardust Drive was amazing, and our neighbors were the most wonderful people. We spent a lot of time with family and our parents were heavily involved in Scouting. Mom served as a neighborhood Cub Scout Den mother and sold World Book Encyclopedias door to door until Amy was old enough to start school (if you have WB encyclopedias from the early 70's you may have bought them from our Mom!). After that, Mom was rehired by AT&T, where she worked as a long-distance operator until her retirement in 1989.

Dad no longer had the desire to travel to Europe after serving in WWII, but Mom was an adventurous traveller, making several trips with friends and loved ones, even going as far as Europe to tour the arts, Indonesia, and Mexico. Our parents were very active with the Sandia Labs Coronado Club and RV clubs throughout our lives and into their retirement until our Dad passed unexpectedly in 1994.

After Dad's passing our Mom put a lot of time into her beloved home on Stardust Drive and became very close with her granddaughter Nina, and later, Nina's children. She spent a lot of time at Palo Duro Senior Center where she met her close friend and companion Vicente Chavez, after his wife had passed. They spent a lot of time at the senior centers sharing meals, listening to music and dancing. After Mom forfeited her driving license, Mr. Chavez took her shopping and out to eat at her favorite places, Weck's and Souper Salad! Although things changed during COVID, Mr. Chavez continued a close and supportive friendship with our Mom throughout that time and into her later years in assisted living.

Our Mom has been so blessed by her strong following of family and friends that we are eternally grateful to All!

Laura is survived by her sister; Laverne Scott of Albuquerque, and Laverne's children; Laura's children Sonja Montoya of Los Lunas NM, Eric Montoya and wife Betty Nurbaety Montoya of Bandung, West Java Indonesia, and Amy Montoya of Albuquerque, NM; grandchildren Nina Montoya Gregoris and husband Luis of California, Evan (Pablo) Montoya of West Java Indonesia; great-grandchildren Sofia Feliz, Lisette Marisela, Sonya Evalina, Louis Miguel, Ruben Cirilio, and Gabriel Cristiano Gregoris. 

Services for Laura will take place on Thursday, May 8th at 10:00am at FRENCH - Univeristy Chapel. Interment will take place, following her memorial service, at 1:00pm at Santa Fe National Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association in lieu of flowers.

Our sincere thanks, from the Montoya family.