Been 4yrs now and still feels like it was the other day. Hope you are resting well and Man City pushing as usual. You probably know about Man City the triple last season. Alot have change bruv...straight up. Rip to a real friend.

Been thinking about you all week brother😥

Eulogy for Funeral Montgomery Mark Richmond was born on Tuesday 2nd Feb 1988 in Linden Hospital, Guyana. Like many of his brothers before him – Steve, Sean, Marlon – he was named after a Hollywood film star, in his case, Montgomery Clift. Monty was the baby of the family and was the apple of his mother’s eye. Rochelle acted as a second mother to him – as she remembers: I remember having to look after you a lot with our sister Latoya as mom and dad went to work on the farm to provide for us. There was this time when you were only a few months old, but able to sit up, that I dressed you up in a cute outfit and put you on the banister of our veranda and stepped back to take a picture of you. That same beautiful smile came out. You were a right poser. It became the cutest picture of your babyhood but on reflection I cringe at the thought of what could have happened if you had fallen backwards and dropped more than ten feet down! Monty went to Coomacka Nursery in 1991, and then went on to Coomacka Primary. He was a quiet, studious boy and did well at school, and so went to Watooka Primary to prepare for his Common Entrance. He passed this with excellent marks allowing him to have the choice of the top secondary schools in the country. Monty’s Dad died in 1999. Sean remembers this time well: Being the youngest, Monty had the advantage of everyone's sympathy and support but he never capitalized on that. He was always contented and one who tried to create his own footprint in this world. I admired him immensely for that. Whenever he was at or with me, he would express himself softly and he was always positive and willing. I could not ever deny anything he requested or needed because of his altruistic attitude. I will forever admire his courage and purposeful positivity. I remember meeting Monty for the first time when he and his family were choosing which secondary school he should attend. I remember him as an outwardly quiet, but well-spoken, young man with a lot on his mind. He seemed to be the epitome of “still waters run deep”. Monty went to Mackenzie High for a short time, and then transferred to President’s College in early 2000. He boarded at PC, but stayed at Cranston’s for a short time when his dorm burnt down. Monty’s best friend, Yannick, wrote about their time at PC: Presidents College, that melting pot that moulded all of us into quite admirable people. Man, we had some fun times, some sad ones too and even times of great stupidity, but we can almost be excused, we were all young. There are too many memories, all worth sharing. However, for some reason I have been thinking a lot about that time in 3rd form when I wanted to fight you, I was angry about something and was ready to "Do Battle" against you. In my mind, we were going to fight that day. Like I said, I don’t even remember what it was, that made me so angry. The one thing that I remember clearly though; was the fact that u didn't want to fight, even when I came rushing at you, you held your ground, held me off, but you would not fight, I started to wonder what I was doing wrong, like, doesn't this dude see I'm trying to fight here? You didn't throw a punch or anything. I found myself feeling stupid, like a pumped-up idiot. I sincerely believe that was the day you and I became good friends. I guess what I am trying to say here is that you were always a good friend, even when others weren't, even when you were wronged, you found a way to move past it, to not hold a grudge, to forgive. That’s who you were, who you are. Monty made many lifelong friends during his time at President’s College, and developed a keen interest in computers, seeing Information Technology as a potential career. After PC he went to Linden Technical Institute and then on to the University of Guyana to study for a Computer Science Diploma. During his time at UG Monty stayed with Sean, and spent a lot of time with Yannick and other friends. Rochelle and I were amazed when we visited Guyana in 2009 to find Monty all grown up, drinking beer, playing pools, and knowing all of the best places to go. It’s a shame that he had no rhythm for dancing – at least not by Guyanese standards! Monty came to the UK in March 2010 to stay with us in Leeds for a few months and see a little of the world. He met Angela on a night out in Chapeltown with his cousin Kurt, and Angela and Monty quickly became an item. Monty returned home in May, but Angela flew to Guyana later the same year, and again a few months later. Monty and Angela married in Guyana during May 2011 and Monty flew to the UK in December to start his new life. Monty had high aspirations for himself. He took jobs to earn money – working for Courts in Linden, working in the bush for Atlas Gold Mines, working for Sports Direct in the UK – but he also took jobs to help him develop new skills and help other people – volunteering to teach children IT skills, working with LEAP and the One Laptop One Family projects to develop computer networks in Guyana, supporting the Leeds UK Guyanese Association. As Marlon, his brother says, Monty was bright and educated, but he was also loving and kind. No matter what problems you were facing, it was no problem for Monty with his skills to support. We had high hopes for him knowing he would succeed in any part of the world once opportunity knocked. Sadly, this was not to be, as faith would have it, HE IS GONE TOO SOON. Angela helped him get a job at NG Bailey in Leeds, and Monty did so well that the company made his contract permanent and give him a promotion. In his spare time, he studied towards professional Microsoft Certifications. He had a long-term goal to gain CompTIA certificates and a degree level qualification in cyber security – and it was these long term goals that led him to leave NG Bailey in 2018 to join an apprenticeship programme with Bradford City Council in January 2019. I was pleased to see Monty adapt to life in the UK so well. His love of football helped him make friends, and he regularly played for a couple of local amateur teams. Jermaine wrote: Monty was a great friend and would always be there when called upon. He was both kind and generous with a big heart. He truly loved his family and appreciated his good friends. He had a passion for Man City football club... we wouldn't see a match day together bruv but I'll support City from now. I wish he could have found more happiness in the things that made him happy and realised his dreams - he kept out of trouble and worked hard for but time was short. I thought he was joking when he called our last conversation the final chapter. He fought difficult personal battles on different fronts and still always manage to laugh and smile a lot. He was a dear friend and will forever be missed and remembered. I think that Monty would be happy to hear that Jermaine is now going to support Man City! I remember being with Monty on 13 May 2012 watching Man City win their first premier league title. For a quiet guy, he could really shout and scream! I was surprised to find out that Monty also supported Bolton Wanderers FC – but only in FIFA. He was so good at FIFA that playing as Man City was just too easy. In 2015, Monty moved into his own house at Bayswater Terrace and spent a happy month painting and decorating to make it his own. Soon afterwards he was joined by a new partner, and some months later he moved into her house. In March 2018, Monty was told that he was going to be a father and he opened his bottle of 21 Year-Old to celebrate. Amy wrote: On 13th November I went into labour. That night we played FIFA as Monte thought it would be a good distraction - it kind of was. Soon after we were off to hospital. On 14th November at 15.26 Lincoln was born. Monte cut the umbilical cord and dressed Lincoln. On 16th Monty drove us home. It was the slowest he had ever driven! He was the proudest Daddy. Monty was a hands-on father: changing nappies, looking after bottle feeds, and playing peek-a-boo again and again and again. He was devoted to Lincoln and loved sharing stories of his development with friends and family. We spoke of fatherhood, and of Monty’s long-term goals to complete his qualifications and do well in life for his family. In April 2019, Monty was diagnosed with Adult T-Cell Leukaemia / Lymphoma (ATL), a rare form of cancer. He moved back in with us and spent a lot of time with Rochelle, and with Mommy who stayed with us from June to November. Monty and his mom spent many days together – out of the house seeing the sights, and in the house cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Each Sabbath Monty would spend time with my family, worshipping and praying together and dedicating their day to God. Monty was a committed Christian and as his physical health failed him, he focussed more and more on his own spiritual development. Monty died on Friday 17 April 2020 in Leeds, UK. He was 32. Unfortunately, Monty was unable to see Lincoln as much as he would have liked in this last year. He missed being with his son and seeing him develop, but did not stop thinking about him and loving him. The last words Monty wrote were for his son, the most important person here today: To my son Lincoln, I want you to believe deep in your heart that you are capable of achieving anything you put your mind to. You will never lose; you either win or learn. Just go forth and aim for the skies. I can’t promise to be there all of your life, but I can promise to love you for the rest of mine. Love Always, Daddy Rest in Peace Monty.