Mont Meredith Phelps

Mont Meredith Phelps was born October 24th, 1945 in Radford, VA and left us suddenly in Houston, TX on November 2nd, 2025, at 80 years old, an age he joked he never thought he'd achieve. He hated the idea of leaving us and missing a party with all his friends where he'd be the center of attention, so he was happy to tell us that he had already had his funeral. A curious spirit with a quick, wry wit, he didn't want his passing to be mourned. He wanted the relationships he instigated between others to live beyond him. Picture him asking you right now: "You're sad for me? What are you, nuts?"

Mont is survived by his wife, Jane Linder, and their blended family: Alison Eill (Steve), Meredith Schank (Jason), Drew Phelps (Jenica), Amy Ziegler (Keven), Manlio LoConte (Kristin), Marco LoConte (Christina), Liana Ris (Ethan), 14 grandchildren, and his first wife, Marcia Phelps.

Having been adopted by his aunt and uncle, Mont described himself as 'my own first cousin'. He was raised and loved by a wide and diverse family that blurred the lines between siblings, nieces, nephews, and cousins. Without talking carefully through our family tree, we're not completely sure how we are related. But we know that our family is large, we show up expecting to be assigned chores, we are related somehow through Mont, and that's just the way he liked it.

Mont spent many of his early years in Miami, FL and was adopted with his sister Grace by his aunt Gertrude and uncle George Phelps of Pulaski, VA. Transitioning from the freedom of urban self-reliance to a rigid, rural self-sufficiency didn't come easy, but Mont learned how to build, farm, and work hard to earn his keep in Pulaski, also winning a 4H medal with his pig Traveler. He loved being in control, playing quarterback in football, point guard in basketball, and pitcher in baseball for the Pulaski High School Orioles. A self-confident, driven, and athletic student from a small town, he won appointment to the US Naval Academy class of 1968. He played football at Navy and then at Randolph Macon College, where he concluded his undergraduate studies while working the overnight shift at a truck stop. He was also awarded an MBA from Widener College.

He married Marcia Bryce Phelps in 1969, and they raised a family together over the next 25 years. Mont worked for 20 years at duPont, rising rapidly through the organization, moving with his family from Delaware to Massachusetts, California, Texas, and New Jersey. He then led the national sales organizations for Agfa Corporation and the Pitman Corporation, followed by executive roles with Polaroid in Boston, and Escher-Grad in Montreal.

After his first successful career, Mont acquired a small company, and led a renaming contest, creating Netivity Solutions. He and Jane Linder married in 2002, forming a pair who would build one of life's greatest second acts. Over the next decade and a half, Mont and Jane built Netivity into NWN Corporation, a nationally recognized company employing hundreds of people. Mont was an unconventional leader. He was authoritative yet approachable, unpredictable but disciplined. As he built his career, he helped others build theirs. His beloved dog Bunker was a constant sidekick, traveling the country by car to visit NWN's various offices. He was a fan of unusual symbolism, and galvanized teams around the underappreciated qualities of animals in his 'NWN Zoo': the bee, cheetah, rooster, camel, Canadian goose, horse, and falcon.

Mont loved competition and would play 'any game where you keep score'. He coached his children and encouraged them to succeed in sports and school. He called childhood 'the training camp of life'. He played pickup basketball with former professional athletes and loved mental games as much as physical ones. He learned how to play golf in his 40's and played with family and friends until the end. He was happy at the helm of a sailboat and loved living near the ocean. Always needing a project to be busy, Mont and Jane designed and built homes in Narragansett, RI, Charlestown, MA and Cohasset, MA.

Mont built and maintained countless relationships spanning his childhood, adulthood, career and through his retirement. He traveled extensively, visited all seven continents, flew and drove millions of miles. Mont was always interested in learning about other people. He spoke with unsuspecting strangers wherever he went (a practice he called 'interrogating a native'). Mont often picked up the phone on impulse and called anyone on his mind. He would locate and call friends out of the blue after years. He mastered the art of popping into your life without notice, often just to ask how you were or tell you what the weather was like where he was (Houston was his favorite). He was generous with his counsel and his time, and sought no recognition for the many contributions he made to support and encourage others. He wanted to spend all his time visiting with or speaking to his family and friends.

In recent years, Mont and Jane dedicated themselves to building and enjoying the web of relationships across their large, blended family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mont Phelps Memorial Scholarship Fund. This scholarship will provide an annual award to a college student who has spent time in the foster care system as a youth. Details will be available at themontfoundation.org

He is sorely missed, and if he was writing this, he'd encourage you to put this down, pick up the phone, and call someone you haven't talked to in years. That's the best way to remember him.

The service previously scheduled on Thursday was cancelled, more information will be available soon about a celebration of his life.

In lieu of flowers, please watch for more information about the Mont Phelps Memorial.Scholarship Fund.