Jose Montoya

Jose wasn’t chosen as our Knight of the Month for April 2021 because he celebrated a birthday in the middle of the month, but it was a nice coincidence. Jose joined our Order in January 1997 while living in Louisiana and added his major degrees the following month. After moving to our area, he unsurprisingly was invited to join 8157 by Andy Goza. Jose is a frequent contributor to council activities such as the lenten fish fry operation and Knight Hands.

Jose is recently retired from his dual careers working for the federal government and in the Naval reserves. Retired is a relative term for Jose given his level of activity with multiple workshops near their Midlothian home and his hobby of car restoration. He’s also a licensed HVAC technician, seems like he’s always busy with some kind of project at his shop in Ovilla; he also owns a second shop at the same location and rents it to a plumbing company.

Jose and wife Isabel grew up in El Paso where he graduated from El Paso High, and he spent 24 years in the U.S. Navy. The Montoyas have four daughters (Pilar Zelda, Toni Zephra, Zoie Anne and Zara Rose) and one grandchild (6-year-old Xavier Emmanuel). They are long time Holy Spirit parishioners.

In late 2016, much of the Montoya family was involved in an extensive project undertaken by a contingent of Knight Hands volunteers. It involved almost 100 man hours of work for repairs, restoration and appliance replacement at the home the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi of Dallas. That’s located in Irving in connection with The Highlands School. That’s where the Montoyas come in. Jose spearheaded the Knight Hands group for a makeover of the ladies’ group home in early November. Isabel taught English literature and speech there. Zara, the youngest of the four Montoya girls, was a sophomore at the school.