Jeffrey Darren Montgomery Obituary (1969

Jeffrey Darren Montgomery, age 47, of Gainesville, Florida and Flagler Beach, Florida passed away on January 28, 2017. He was born on December 16, 1969 to Diane Weldon Montgomery and Franklin Mark Montgomery in Gainesville, Florida. He graduated from Gainesville High School. He attended Santa Fe College and studied archaeology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. He was also an accomplished springboard diver at Ventura College in Ventura, California. In 2007 Darren moved from California back to Florida after the birth of his daughter to be closer to family. He soon began work in the fireworks industry and eventually branched off to open a Black Cat Fireworks outlet store. Darren had a deep and lifelong love of the water, barefoot waterskiing, scuba diving, and especially surfing the biggest waves possible on the smallest surfboard imaginable. He was a spectacular and creative cook, who could create remarkable feasts with whatever he could get his hands on. Darren earned his race car driving licenses from the Sports Car Racing Association and the International Motor Sports Association, competing in races in Daytona Beach, Florida and Savannah, Georgia. He had a contagious laugh, a crazy good sense of humor, and an astounding energy about him. He was truly one of a kind. His path was not without challenges, but he was deeply kindhearted, funny, adventurous, smart, creative, and spirited. Above all, he adored his beautiful children, Cash and Fin, endlessly and he worked tirelessly to be the best father he knew how to be. By sharing his personal experiences and challenges with addiction and recovery, he was able to help many others on their journey with recovery. That is an invaluable gift that will live on in the people and families he profoundly impacted along the way. He was a regular volunteer for Flagler County schools, spending hours in the classrooms of both his daughter and his son. He was a member of the Bunnell Elementary Watch D.O.G.S./Dads of Great Students, a father centered educational initiative of the National Center for Fathering. He was a committed and outspoken advocate of children with Autism. He is survived by his two children, Jaylin Cash Montgomery and Jeffrey Fin Montgomery, his parents, Mark Montgomery and Diane Montgomery, his sister, Tracy Montgomery Block, his brother-in-law, Ken Block, nephew, Chance Block, nieces, Marley and Alaina Block, Leslie McElroy, Shelly Lesher and many more loving family members and friends. A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, February 8 at 11am at Trinity United Methodist Church, 4000 NW 53rd Ave, Gainesville, Florida where Darren and his children were baptized this past Easter. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Darren Montgomery memorial fund set up to benefit the future educational, health, and developmental support needs of his two children - Cash and Fin. If you are interested in contributing to the children's fund, please visit the following website. https://www.gofundme.com/darren-fund.