David (“Dave”) M. Montegari, 76, of West Hempstead, NY, passed away peacefully at home in his sleep on March 11, 2026, after a valiant three-year battle with multiple cancers.

Born on December 11, 1949, in Brooklyn, NY, to George and Filomena Montegari, Dave grew up in Queens, NY, in a loving family with his parents and two sisters, Mary Ann Arciprete and Carole Serabian. He became a lifelong Yankees fan and attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Working a full-time job, Dave put himself through college and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Manhattan College in 1971. After college, he joined the U.S. Army Reserves, where he served as a medic for six years, and began working for the NY Telephone Company, where he would work for 35 years in ever-increasing management positions. At the telephone company, he earned a patent in 1987 and was a first-hand witness to the events of September 11, 2001, while working in the company’s downtown Manhattan headquarters. Retiring in 2006, Dave took up golf, coffee time with friends, and waiting for his wife to get home from work.

A man of few words, Dave was, above all else, a devoted husband and father through his actions. He married the love of his life, Pauline Walsh. With Pauline, he understood that you don’t just marry a woman, you marry her family, for better or worse. Luckily, it was for the best, and he gained a large roster of in-laws whom he would count among his closest friends in life, as well as even more nieces and nephews whom he adored. He rarely missed a family dinner, as he made it a point to always be on time. He was very active in coaching his sons and their friends in little league and youth basketball teams. Through sports, he instilled life lessons in his children. His children leaned on him for advice and wisdom until the very end. He may not have been loud, but he was always a voice of reason when those close to him needed it most.

Dave is survived by his beloved wife of 43 years, Pauline; three sons David, Daniel, and Douglas; two daughters-in-law, Meaghan and Elizabeth; and six grandchildren Charley, Declan, Shane, Liam, Seamus, and Maeve. He will be missed by them and many others.

Wake services will be held on Sunday, March 15, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Fairchild Sons Funeral Home, 1201 Franklin Ave, Garden City, NY 11530. A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, March 16, at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 24 Westminster Rd, West Hempstead, NY 11552.