Obituaries

On Wednesday, May 11th, we said goodbye too soon to our dear sister and friend, Barbara Montro, after a long and courageous battle with the ravages of cancer.

Born in New Jersey on May 5, 1956, to Frank and Hildegard Montro, Barb is survived by her dear sister Sandy Montro, siblings Brenda, Frank and Margaret, and their children – her adored nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews — and her sweet 18 year old Maltese, Nicki. Also missing her greatly is her business partner Patrick Johnston, and her loving and supportive friends in the Tacoma community who have stayed close and been a tremendous support system for her and Nicki during the difficult past year.

Barb attended the Hartford College for Women in Connecticut, and moved west in the early 80’s, earning a degree in Computer Science from San Diego State University. After a decade in IT, she found her real calling in commercial real estate appraisal, earning her MAI designation in 2001. She was very proud when in 2014 she became the first woman, and second person in Washington State, awarded the prestigious AI-GRS designation from the Appraisal Institute. Barb ran a very successful appraisal business in Tacoma, Montro & Johnston Appraisals. Over her 29 year career she performed over 1,000 commercial appraisals on property valued in excess of $1.1B. Her business will continue under the expert guidance of her business partner Patrick Johnston.

Barb was passionate about her support for LGBTQ rights, notably supporting The Human Rights Campaign, Tacoma’s Rainbow Center, and Oasis Youth Center. Barb was generous with her support of community and political concerns in Pierce County and Washington State, providing office space and business support to candidates for both state and local offices.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Barb’s memory to the Tacoma Rainbow Center or the Oasis Youth Center.