Daniel Robert Montgomery was born on July 28, 1972, in Santa Monica, CA. He was the beloved son of Bob and Lynn Montgomery and the dear older brother of Sara. When Daniel was 18 months old, his family moved to Charlotte, NC where he grew up, went to school, and played sports. He and his good friend Peiffer spent hours sorting baseball cards. Graduating from Charlotte Country Day School in 1991, he went on to Guilford College in Greensboro, NC along with many of his high school buddies. After graduation in 1995 with a degree in sport management, he spent time living in Montgomery County, VA before he created his adult life in Watertown and Cambridge, MA, and Brooklyn, NY. He worked in marketing at various companies. His greatest joy was the birth of his daughter Lizzie in 2006. He and Rua Kelly, Lizzie’s mother, have loved and nurtured her to be the delightful, precious 14-year-old girl she is today.
Throughout his life, Daniel remained close friends with all his buddies, as well as co-workers, colleagues, and neighbors. He was especially close to the children who were Lizzie’s friends and their parents. Lizzie attends Amigos, a Spanish immersion school in Cambridge, MA, where he served as President of the Friends of Amigos and a room parent for Lizzie’s class for several years. Daniel and Lizzie loved hosting science parties for her schoolmates.
Daniel’s other loves were playing baseball, as a Little League shortstop, football as a wide receiver in high school and college, and high school basketball. He also enjoyed going to Litchfield Beach, SC with his family and friends, fishing anywhere, and reading. He was a voracious reader as a child, checking out at least 10 books every library visit. Lizzie remembers that he read and re-read his favorite books and John Steinbeck was his favorite author.
Daniel was definitely a people-person. He struck up a conversation with everyone he encountered. He had a great smile which he shared easily. He loved all animals, and during the pandemic, he and Lizzie adopted two kittens named Fezzik and Inigo.
With his dad, he spent hours playing catch in the backyard. Daniel and Sara had wonderful times together playing with the neighborhood children. He, his mom and grandmother shared their love of books, reading during quiet times.
Fortunately, Daniel attended the wedding of his cousin Clair near Wilmington, NC in early March. Because of the pandemic, this was the first time his parents and extended family had seen him in 18 months. His 6-year-old cousin Cole had a great time playing with him that weekend.
Tragically Daniel died very suddenly on April 20, from no discernible cause. His family and friends are celebrating his life in Watertown on April 27 at DeVito Funeral Home and with a private service on April 28 at Mt. Auburn Cemetery’s Bigelow Chapel in Cambridge, MA. In his memory, donations to Friends of Amigos will be much appreciated. To donate, send a check to
Friends of Amigos School
C/0 Lisa Ravicz, treasurer
40 Pemberton St.
Cambridge, MA 02140
Or donate online via PayPal. The link is
paypal.me/FriendsofAmigos