Kent Montgomery

United States Army Sergeant Kent Montgomery passed away on November 23, 2023 after a grueling battle with service-related cancer.

Montgomery was born in Woodbury, New Jersey and grew up in Pitman, New Jersey and Delaware. Montgomery and his older sister lived primarily with their father. Montgomery enjoyed playing outside and being adventurous, playing video games, watching MTV, and listening to rock music. He would often ride his bike to his local mall to get new cassettes of his favorite rock artists or new video games that were released. In 2001, while Montgomery was working at his local ACME grocery store, he met his future wife, Jennifer. She had also been working there and the pair would often find each other outside during their breaks. After talking to each other for a few months, Jennifer finally decided to ask him out in the summer. Upon having their first date, they were inseparable and engaged just one year later at the State Fair. The Fair would become very special to them and they would later take their children there every year.

Prior to meeting his wife, Montgomery joined the US Army as a combat engineer when he was 18 years old. He was stationed in Germany for three years of active duty. Upon returning to Delaware, he joined the Army Reserves Transportation Unit for five years. Montgomery loved traveling and the brotherhood that came with being in the military. He spoke with much fondness of his experiences he gained while in Germany, as well as the relationships he made. He and his battle buddy, Troy Braswell, continued to stay in touch after their time serving together. Montgomery’s main goals with serving his country were to have stability, education, and the ability to travel. Throughout his honorable service, Montgomery was awarded with a Good Conduct Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and Army Achievement Medal, among others, for his time in Bosnia as well as in Operation Iraqi/Enduring Freedom. During his deployment to Kuwait in 2003, Montgomery was exposed to depleted uranium and environmental elements from oil refineries and cement factories, leading to his stage IV colon cancer diagnosis in August of 2022. At the time of the diagnosis, the cancer was infecting his liver, lungs, bones, and brain. His treatment plan to try to control the cancer while managing his symptoms worked for about a year before Montgomery began to decline in July of 2023. He fought long and hard until the early morning hours of Thanksgiving Day in 2023 when Montgomery sadly passed away.

Jennifer and her two children currently reside in the home she and her husband chose as their forever home in Delaware. She enjoys going to the gym and exercising as it helps her mental health. Additionally, Jennifer loves reading books, watching movies, going out to eat with her children, and spending time with family and friends. She works as a hospice social worker and finds that she can empathize better and truly understand what her patients and their families are experiencing. She is also passionate about educating other veterans and their families about the PACT ACT, as unfortunately, many do not know the benefits available to those they are available for. She feels as though spreading awareness to and assisting others brings her peace while preserving her husband’s memory. In the future, Jennifer is excited to take the LCSW exam to obtain her clinical license in social work and the opportunities it will bring to herself and her children. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is providing Jennifer and her children with the financial stability of a mortgage-free home. Being able to remain in the home where she and Montgomery chose to raise their children is a promise she made to him prior to his premature passing. Jennifer would like to thank her sisters, father, and stepmother as well as Montgomery’s childhood friend, Daniel, his wife, Naomi, and sister, Dara, for their unconditional love and support. Finally, she would like others to know how much her husband loved his family. Montgomery’s children were the best thing that ever happened to him and his concern and priority remained with them and his wife up until his final moments.

United States Army Sergeant Kent Montgomery is survived by his loving wife, Jennifer, his two children, his mother, Sherry, his father, his Aunt Joyce, his sisters-in-law, father-in-law, stepmother-in-law, and many friends.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has paid off the mortgage of the Montgomery family home through the Gold Star Family Home Program.