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MONTGOMERY, SHARON JANE Jupiter! Sharon Jane Montgomery took a final bow and left this earthly stage suddenly but peacefully on February 8, 2013. Born May 28, 1929 on the south side of Chicago to Eugene A. and Claudia (nee Remy) Montgomery, she was from a family of accomplished artists and herself had a deep pool of wide-ranging talents. She played the piano - favoring Liszt and Chopin - and sang - favoring choral works and those infernal show tunes. She could draw and she designed and created costumes for the theatre as well as cool clothes for her family. At her passing she left several unfinished sewing projects including an ambitious project to sew doll clothes to be donated to holiday toy drives for needy children. She also left behind a body of hand-thrown pottery pieces, the manuscripts of two completed novels and other writings. Her great forte was acting, though, and she created memorable roles on virtually every local stage - what has been called "the definitive" Miss Marple at the Vortex; Yente the Matchmaker for ACLOA at Popejoy; her Hungarian mystic in Death Trap at ALT did not steal the show, but it stole a few scenes. She did Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Tennessee Williams, among others. Her passion for acting, music, theatre and film continued till her last day, and she had an abiding interest in history, languages, and education, and she continued study in these areas even after receiving her degree in education from UNM. She worked for many years in the Office of Research Administration at UNM - one of the first offices on campus to go on-line - where she grew adept with computers, and a wide range of software. Loquacious and outgoing, she made an impression on everyone who met her; and generous: she donated time and resources and served in various capacities with many community organizations. She also helped many individuals in times of need, often opening her home to them. She was intimately involved with the community at the co-op where she lived, serving a number of terms on the Board of Directors, participating on committees, and volunteering for events. The family wishes to thank the residents and staff of Greenbriar Townhouses, her friends from the university community, and especially that circle she called The Group who were lifelong friends to her as far back as we can remember. Thank you all for the friendship, the love and support you gave her for all those years. She is survived by sisters Pat Fitzgerald and Carolyn Fitzpatrick; brother C. Jerrod Montgomery; sons Brian and Colin McConnell; daughter Lauren Rutledge, son-in-law Wayne Rutledge, and grandchildren Keenan, Fallon and Kye Rutledge. A memorial is planned for later in the spring, tentatively mid-May. In lieu of flowers or donations the family asks that you go see a show, take in an exhibit at a gallery or museum, or otherwise support the arts. There was a theatrical flare and an aesthetic tinge to everything she did, and Christmas was always great. Thanks, mom. "It was all certainly pretty rooty tooty."
        Published on: Sun March 17, 2013