The family of Curtis Mountain wants to thank everyone who has prayed for him, sent cards and flowers, helped financially and brought over food and gifts during the difficult times. Curt always felt very humbled by all the outpouring of love and kindness shown through the years of sickness. We as a family feel the same. It has brought us all immense comfort to know we have such a large circle of family and friends. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Tributes
Leave a tributeI've always been his little girl. My family always joked that I had him wrapped around my finger. From a child all the way until just before he went into the hospital a few weeks ago, if someone needed to talk my dad into doing something he didn't want to do I was the one sent in. He had a hard time telling me no. He had a special place for me in his heart, his baby girl. And because of that, my dad formed me into the woman I am today.
He taught me to be independent, he never wanted me to rely on a man. But in the way he loved me and treated me like a princess, he imbedded in me a self worth that shaped the way I viewed relationships and how I wanted to be treated by a significant other.
He taught me that working hard is necessary, but family comes first. My dad was mostly the sole bread winner growing up, and he worked long hours day in and out, and yet he always found time to be involved in my life. From coaching me in basketball since 2nd grade to coming to every program, awards ceremony, recital, and event i was involved in. He never missed a thing, no matter how tired he was from his long day at work.
He taught me what unconditional love is and was the perfect example to me of the way God loves his children.To be honest, looking back, I can't ever really remember my dad staying mad at me for more than a few minutes. All it took was one tear or one sheep-ish smile and I knew he had forgiven me almost as soon as he was ever unhappy with me.
I can sit here and say that I know I didn't always make the decisions my dad wanted me to make, but I always felt as though in his own way, even if he didn't admit it or like it, my dad understood me. He understood that I needed to experience things on my own and make my own choices. I am, after all, my father's daughter. And in the end, I know he was proud of me.
Today as I write this, I am mourning the loss of my daddy, and experiencing the worst hurt I have ever felt in my 27 years on earth. Today I am mourning the loss of the unique love that my dad had for me, that no one else will ever be able to give me again. I will always love and miss him. But I find so much comfort in remembering who he was and what he meant not only to me, but to so many around him.
Years ago, Curt and Karol bought our home in Orange. We had not told the neighbors we were moving and had close friends in the neighborhood. I was leaving for the day and Curt had a free day so thought he would come over and do a "few things". I came home and the siding was off, bushes cut down and taken out...a construction zone! There were our neighbors standing across the street in a group wondering what was going on!
We were relieved we did not have to break the news to our neighbors and obviously, they have loved the Mountains all these years.
When I think of Curt, I picture him throwing his head back and his big, booming laughter. He will be missed.
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My Eulogy for brother Curt
I’d like to take a few minutes and pay tribute to my older brother Curtis Mountain. My name is David Mountain and I am the maladjusted middle child.
As I began to reach out for the right words to express my thoughts about my brother Curt, I remembered the many instances and roles that Curt played throughout his life.
First and foremost I see him as the family man. He loved his family profoundly. He was a devoted husband / father / brother and friend. Looking back, he was always a family man.
Curt was remarkable in so many ways. He touched so many people during his time here with us, as evidenced by all those present today. Karol, Joshua and Misty, I love you all.
Curt took all of the roles in his life to heart and he strove to honor, support, and guide and most importantly, protect his family. His devotion to his family was the foundation of his actions - the anchor that defined and shaped his life. Curt showed his devotion by staying to comfort our mom while she lay dying in Hospice. He stayed with her and held her hand until her last breath.
Curt lived a principled life underpinned by a strong sense of right and wrong. Many of you have referred to him as a “gentle giant”. He believed in walking softly, but carrying a big stick…knowing intrinsically that his body was the “big stick”. He spoke out when it really counted; his strong principles did not allow him to let something wrong stand unchallenged. We can only imagine how much more he could have accomplished in his life were it not for his illness.
Curt was a living example of the work ethic. He shared his expertise with anyone who would listen, he worked hard and consistently and he remained a student of life. My brother never stopped learning, especially through his loving wife and children.
Curt supported his children’s sports and scholastic activities and encouraged others to do the same. He loved seeing his own children involved in sports and activities that build character. He always told me how proud he was that Misty and Joshua were involved in activities that would help define their lives. I know that when he was younger and had been given a chance, he would have become a dedicated athlete.
I have to say though that the area in Curt's life that I find most memorable is the role that spirituality played. My brother Curt loved his God. We all knew him as a very loving man whose quiet faith guided his actions, words and deeds. He was a true Christian. He strove always to be the best he could be - family man, business owner, brother, friend and champion to others.
Curt was a great friend. He could be counted on and depended on always. Whether you needed simple advice, an empathetic ear, a shoulder to lean on; companionable silence; fishing buddy - he was your man; ready, steadfast, willing and good fun.
As I look out at the faces in this beautiful church, I see many family members and friends and I know that you too will miss the friendship and love that Curt brought into your lives. I'm sure you all will remember him in your very own special way.
I am so grateful that I was able to have him as my brother. As children, we were inseparable. We did everything and went everywhere together. Later in our childhood and through most of our teen years, our parents owned a janitorial service. During that time, most of our summers, weekends and vacations were spent working nights…we were perpetually tired and rarely able to have time off to just be kids. That’s why our favorite childhood event was spending a week during the summer at our Grandparents house. Our Grandmother made our favorite food and took us fishing at the bay. Our Grandfather would take us up in the mountains to play while he cut firewood. And best of all, we could sleep through the whole night…true bliss. As teenagers, we ran our parents janitorial business while they took their one and only vacation. We felt grownup and free at the same time. A final memory I feel compelled to mention is the two trips Curt and I made from Wisconsin to California. The first one we drove in 48 hour straight so we could get home to our “Carol’s” and the second one when we had to go back to Wisconsin but took the girls with us for the cross country adventure. These are the memories I hold most dear and the way I will always see him.
Curt, brother, it is very hard to say goodbye so we will just say so-long. The pages of your book will never be closed.
We will remember you through the many people still left behind whose lives you touched so positively. You may not realize it, but you leave an amazing legacy behind, two incredible, beautiful, and brilliant children. They are your legacy! Through them you leave this world a better place than when you found it and for that you have to be very proud.
Curt, I will miss you, but I will always remember you with respect, admiration and love, always, always!
Ten Things I Love About You......
1. Curtis Allen Mountain was the most responsible person I know. No matter what happened in his life he always fulfilled his responsibilities, at work, at home and at church through sickness, through good times and bad. That was one thing I loved about him.
2. He was always on-time. And on-time to him was at least 15-30 minutes early. We had to get there before anyone else for Curt to be happy.
3. Curt loved fishing his whole life. He did a lot of it as a young adult. But as he got older it was hard to find the time.
4. In his early 20's Curt was quite the dare devil. He parachuted from a plane in Lake Elsinore. He also flew Ultra-Light Airplanes several times. (similar to hang gliding) But when we became engaged I asked him not to do such dangerous things as I wanted my husband alive and well. So he got it out of his system before we said I do :-)
5. Curtis Mountain had a personal relationship with God. He was completely devoted to Him. A man of faith. He felt the calling to be a pastor as a young man. But he hated school work. The thoughts of spending one day longer in school than he had to made him almost run screaming. But fortunately for him, he found a way to fulfill that desire by lay-ministering to the people of the church. That work completely satisfied his soul's longing and made him who he was.
6. He was a great dad and extremely proud of his children. I was so lucky to have a husband who actually spent quality time with his kids and was a good role model. He believed in disipline but he never held back the hugs and kisses.
7. Curt was a really generous person. He would give the shirt off his back to help someone else even if it meant him going without.
8. Curt was a big strong guy but he was also very sentimental and creative. He wrote poetry for me especially when we were young. His poems were always filled with love. He never forgot holidays and birthdays where he showered me with gifts and his attention. He was a wonderful husband.
9. His mother was only 13 and his father was 17 when they married. She was 14 when Curt was born. Curt grew tall early and always looked older than he was. By the time he was in 5th grade he was already 6' tall. Many times when he was out with his mom, people mistook them for girlfriend and boyfriend. Curt was mortified.
10. When Curt was seven yrs old he burned a hole in his eye while looking at an eclipse without proper eye protection. So he had only one good eye for most of his life. Later when he developed lung disease, the meds caused his one good eye to grow a cateract. So it was hard for him to read. Curt began committing his favorite passages of the Bible to memory. He also led an active prayer life while he sat sick in his chair, praying for different people he knew, as the spirit led him.