Karen Sue Montague, 75, passed away on September 27, 2025, in hospice care after a devastating illness. Karen was born on October 6, 1949, one of the famous Baby Boomers. She always called Augusta “home” even after living in Newport for over fifty years with family and friends.
Karen graduated from Augusta High School in 1967. Karen and her family lived in a neighborhood with about fifty friends in a six-block radius who were all free-range kids — the ones who knew they were safe, loved, and could roam anywhere to play. She loved school, swimming, and her friends who had been connected through a lifetime. Karen went to Arkansas Teachers College for a bit but decided that was not what she wanted to continue, and went to work. She was a professional secretary in Little Rock, Newport and retired from Miller-Newell Engineers.
She was a member of Newport First United Methodist church. Karen loved cats, dogs, and most people. She depended on the Jackson County Library and PBS/AETN, General Hospital and a lot of computer games to keep her brain active. She attended hundreds of Greyhound football, baseball, and other athletic events and ceremonies to cheer her family on to success. Once a week, consistently, there was a family lunch just to catch up and stay close.
She was preceded in death by her parents, C. Jones and Merle Montague of Augusta. She is survived by her sister, Judy Smith; nephew, Scott Nance; niece, Amanda Reynolds, and her husband, Ben; and her great-nephews, Chris Reynolds and Luke Reynolds, all of Newport. Survivors also include cousins Catesby Montague, Bret Montague, Laurie Montague Cary, Martha Sullivan, and Steve Johnson
If you wish to give a memorial, please consider a donation in her name to the Jackson County Library in Newport or AETN/PBS, Conway.
