Mondell F. Metz

Mondell was born in Miles City, Mt to June and Mondell Metz. He was the oldest of five siblings. While still a toddler, his family moved to Missoula and began to migrate north to Flathead Lake/ Finley Point. Survivors include his children: Margie, Elena, Mondell, and his wife, Cristina.
Incredibly proud of his children he envisioned all sorts of activities to enhance their learning and experience. Mondell had an inexhaustible fecund mind for choosing new and different hobbies and other outlets. He loved to be of service to God, his family, his church and town. Just the mere listing of some of his favorite hobbies give us pause. Woodworking: miniature wagons/ cars, pens, wooden bowls and model airplanes' add to that bee keeper, beer brewer (specializing in unique combinations of ingredients)' animal husbandry (hens/rabbits/geese/ducks)' fishing with the most incredible supply of lures and equipment, photography and developing his own pictures; gardening enough to supply his family for food right in the midst of Los Angeles! One never knew what new skill or interest would pop up. Like learning to make pens with such prowess with antlers from deer/elk. He fashioned beautiful writing pens that were delightful to behold and treasured. He rarely charged for them and the pens numbered in the hundreds. He loved to give them away as a thank you and his eyes would glisten to see the appreciation in the recipient's eyes. At Christmas he started making wooden cars by the hundreds for the Toys for Tots program. He did this for several years. He would use cast off wood from different sources to make the cars. He wanted more than anything to have a child get a present that would take all their roughness and not break, to allow the imagination of a child to indulge to their hearts' content.
Mondell was also a voracious reader using his speed reading skills and when his library could no longer be contained he began to gift others with his treasures. Being a speed reader he would finish a book in record time. He was quite the multi-tasker when he would read his kindle or listen to a lecture on his I-pod and watch TV at the same time. Volunteering was one of his passions. Giving more than a hundred hours through the years he participated and helped with the cardiac rehabilitation unit at St. Joseph Hospital. Did I mention ham radio? The family would be in bed late at night and we could hear the dots and dashes of his conversations with friends and others from all corners of the world. He was of service to his community with his ham radio experience especially in quake-prone Los Angeles where he facilitated communication with family members in distant countries who were calling asking as to the condition of their loved ones in California because the phone lines were down and he was their link.
His faith, his church, his community were pre-eminent in his life. He became a Knight of Columbus at 18 years of age and he kept all his membership cards as a reminder of all those years. While in California, he was instrumental in starting a Squires' club (a young men's youth group for the Knights of Columbus which he dearly loved. He was chosen to be Grand Knight several times because of his leadership skills. Mondell's multitude of ideas for whatever organization he belonged to was legendary. He always had his focus on the future and what lay before him. He was so intent on sharing his skills with children. He so loved to fish but more so to teach youngsters to fish was his delight. His church was a recipient of his service too. Mondell was in charge with his wife for the Baptismal catechesis. They were also an administrative couple for a dozen or so Marriage Encounters, not only in California but also in Sacramento and New Orleans. He participated and enjoyed being part of the Cursillo movement. Mondell was an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister and was in charge of pre-Cana presentations for his parish. When he retired as an electrical engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power heading the section in charge of many contracts for that utility he was asked to be the parish administrator by his pastor and in that capacity he participated in choosing a new principal and overseeing the functioning of the parish. The pastor regarded Mondell as a very talented person that could be relied on to assist in the many facets of the parish.
As the years progressed he began to have great difficulty in ambulating so he set out to remedy the situation and got an electric scooter and then in a very determined process had a lift installed in the car to allow him to take the scooter to many places. No matter the challenge, he kept such a positive mind set that others were bowled over with the projects he continued to pursue. There were many products that he acquired to allow him to continue to communicate in various modes from his blue tooth, and the streamer and his matching hearing aids. No matter how unable to move he became, when asked about his quality of life would ALWAYS respond, "Great!".
The world has lost a warrior, a man who strove to do the best for everyone. How blessed we have been. We praise and thank our God for giving us such a magnificent man for as long as He did. A Mass to celebrate Mondell's life will be Wednesday August 1st at 5pm, followed by a 6pm caravan to the lake house (29977 Finley PT Lane) and a 6:30 catered picnic. Please bring a chair, blanket and favorite Mondell story.

Read Mondell Metz's Obituary and Guestbook.