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!

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.