RIP Ken Montanye -- the Rocket Doctor
 

So I've confirmed that Ken Montanye passed away after a long illness on January 17. Don't have much else to report. His sister Charlene handled the arrangements, and his long-time companion Vicky Peine has a Facebook page, but neither mention Ken's passing in public posts.

(Jeff Jenkins got a different date from speaking with Vicky. I’ve updated it above. )

I bought a few items from Ken over the years and he seemed like a really nice guy. I had the impression he was downsizing due to health concerns.
There is a short video of him talking about the resources of the local library:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.no...m/amp/319713002

Sad news. I bought a few things from him years ago - some Kruger kits and parts, an Alpha-1 Ballistic Missile set ( Pic attached ) and a few others. Also met him at NARAM 50, talked with him while prepping my 'Sky of Gold' Scout. For those who don't know, Ken, along with Carl, was behind the Sky of Gold celebration. Seemed like a really nice guy.

Yes, it is sad news and sorry we did not know sooner. I too picked up a few things from Ken some years back — probably about 10 years ago I guess— and my experience was the same. Very nice guy and very helpful.

As I seem to recall about that time, he was doing some research on an old (I think) Rection Motors, Inc. plant in the northeast somewhere. They made the motors for the X-15 rocket plane and Ken was trying to hunt down additional info and maybe even physical research at a former plant site, though I am not certain on that part.

Peace and rest to you Ken; May you be experiencing life and views beyond anything we can imagine or comprehend in this life.

Earl

Yes, very sad news indeed. Ken will be missed. I also had dealings with Ken Montanye. He was a very helpful and knowledgeable individual, who selflessly volunteered much of his time towards the preservation of history, including Rocketry and Model Rocket history. Ken contributed several Estes kit designs, including Baby Bertha, Converter, Deluxe Super Shot, Screaming MiMi, Estes No 2 Skywriter and the 36 D Squared. Ken worked tirelessly every month at the Butler, NJ History Museum. Ken had a vision of a permanent Model Rocketry History Museum exhibit, prior to the establishment of the Seattle Museum of Flight Model Rocketry exhibits and accessions.

Ken also was an expert on the history of Reaction Motors, Inc., the first successful American rocket company, founded December 18, 1941, within just two weeks from the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the event which thrust the United States into WWII. Ken collaborated with author Frank H. Winter, famed curator of the NASM in Washington, D.C., to help provide artifacts and details for the book entitled, "America's First Rocket Company: Reaction Motors, Inc.", published in 2017. The book is still available: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Fir...n/dp/162410441X

Reaction Motors, Inc. went on to accomplish some of the most significant technological breakthroughs in American Aerospace history, paving the way to manned flights far beyond the speed of sound, the beginnings of manned flight into space, and development of the critically important vernier motors for the Surveyor spacecraft that became the first U.S. soft-landing craft on the surface of the moon. Ken had the only known remaining brick from the original Reaction Motors, Inc. test facility control room blockhouse in Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Ken sent me this Models in Motion video that his 4-H Model Rocket club did back in 1972 for the Hobby Industry Of America. According to Ken, the video was shown on TV four times and received a bronze award in competition featuring Model Rocketry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOqleJOZ_Ww
Ken can be seen in the video with blonde hair and wearing a green 4-H shirt launching model rockets. Ken Montanye was NAR #9803 SR.

May Ken Montanye rest in peace.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Cool video. Thanks for pointing it out!

Yes, thanks for the link to the video. I have seen that at some point in the past, but I have no recollection how I got pointed to it. Maybe Ken sent it to me way back when.

Roy, do you by chance have a pointer to an obit for Ken? I did a search and found one for his mother who passed in June, 2015. But a search in Butler, NJ and NJ at large did not return anything for Ken himself. If you found one, can you post a link here (or anyone else who may have found one)?

Earl

I didn't know Ken all that well other than a few YORF conversations in the past on a few topics of interest. But it's always sad when somebody you interacted with, passes away. Especially an old-timer like Ken that's been in the hobby for over 50 years. My condolences to his family and friends.

His cousin said that his sister did not submit an obit. I have no idea why. She said the sister and the girlfriend (Vicky) were not on good terms; maybe that was a factor. I thought funeral homes at least summited a list to the local paper of services they had handled, but maybe not.

The Cost of Dying
 

It could be as simple as $$$.

In the last three years, I've had to write up and submit obituaries for my older brother and my mom. I don't recall what the out of pocket cost was exactly, but it wasn't cheap. Easily $200-300 each.

Some local funeral homes submit death notices and service time announcements to the newspapers, but around here obituaries cost extra. :eek: :(