Federico was born in the humble, family home in Wagon Mound, New Mexico, the third of nine children of Nemecio and Leonor Montoya. Raised working on the family ranch whose home had no electricity or water for years, and speaking only Spanish until beginning school, he rode his horse long distances to ’town’, including to school. After high school he began studying at New Mexico Highlands University but the yearn for adventure and a better life drove him to move to Los Angeles, CA. He was the first in his family to move to California and soon found a job at Capitol Records as an accountant, where he would work for 22 years, rising through the accounting ranks until he was a Controller for one of their plants. He accomplished this despite some hardships due to his Spanish accent and a lack of a college degree.

It was in Southern California where he would meet his future wife, Olga Lopez, at a dance in East LA and they would soon marry in 1961 and welcomed their first child, Marcus, a year later. Soon after, his daughters Lenora and Bernice were also born. They remained in Southern California, with the exception of a two year period when his work took him and the family to Connecticut where he would oversee the accounting transition of a newly acquired tape company. While in Southern California the family would take annual trips to Wagon Mound to visit his parents and extended family - and allow his children to experience life on the ranch he grew up in, where they would shoot BB guns, ride motorcycles, fish, ride horses, rope and brand calves, gather eggs from the chickens, etc.

In 1979, after experiencing enough of the ’fast lane’ of Southern California he semi-retired and the family moved to Bosque Farms, New Mexico. There he was able to relive some of his ranch life owning goats, chickens, horses, etc. He loved going horseback riding with his brothers in the mountains. It was around this time he became employed by Karler Packing Company as Director of Accounting and they bought a cabin in Jemez mountains. At the cabin, they loved to experience nature, took up cross country skiing and he enjoyed downhill skiing. 

After his daughters graduated college they settled into the San Francisco Bay Area and he moved there to assist in raising his six grandsons.  Federico also enjoyed gardening, golfing and traveling with his children & grandsons. 

The last couple of years he became ill from having a stroke and on February 8, 2025 he left his earthly home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is survived by his wife Olga; son Marcus Montoya and his wife Rebecca Lindy; his daughter Lenora Heuchert and her husband Mark and their children: Karl, Nicolas, Erik and Lucas; his daughter Bernice Lockard and her children: Cameron and Aidan and his wife Alicia; his siblings: Joe Montoya and his wife Maria as well as Robert Montoya; numerous nieces, nephews, as well as friends and neighbors.

Federico’s Life Celebration will be Saturday February 22, 2025 at Trinity Church of Sunnyvale, 477 Mathilda Ave, Sunnyvale, CA at 3:00pm, reception to follow from 3:30pm-4:30pm.  

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