Raúl Montes, Little Village community leader, dead of coronavirus at 72

Raúl Montes used to say his block had the cleanest alley in Little Village. So clean, he would say, you could eat off the ground.

Though he said it in jest, part of you would believe he was serious.

For nearly five decades, Mr. Montes was known as the fixer on the 2600 block of South Kolin Avenue. Those who knew him said he was selfless, helping neighbors in need and making sure the block was clean of any debris — and never asking anything in return.

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Mr. Montes died Jan. 23 at McNeal Hospital in Berwyn due to complications of the coronavirus. He’d been hospitalized almost a month, according to his son Jose Montes. He was 72 years old.

He was only 17 in 1965 when he left Chihuahua, Mexico on a train bound for Chicago to join his father and other siblings.

His first job was as a busboy at Marshall Field’s department store in the Loop. By 1967, he was working at Western Electric, where he met Maria Gutierrez, a fellow employee. They married in 1972 and purchased a home on the 2600 block of South Kolin Avenue.

Friday would’ve been their 49th anniversary.

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“One thing he taught me and my brothers was work ethic,” Jose Montes said. “Work as hard as you can, and nothing is unreachable. Everything is within reach as long as you put your heart into it.”

Mr. Montes launched a block club in the late 1970s to organize and bring resources into his neighborhood, after seeing how Little Village looked compared to more affluent neighborhoods. He wanted to change that.

As block club president, he organized his neighbors to lay sod and install light fixtures outside neighbors’ homes — and he was always seen cleaning the streets.

Through the block club he met labor leader Rudy Lozano and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, who both lived nearby. Garcia’s political career included stints on the Chicago City Council and Cook County Board; he’s now a congressman.

“Raúl created a block club in our neighborhood that worked to improve and beautify homes, backyards and streets. They installed lamps in their front lawns, planted sod in parkways, and established block watches and activities for children and teens,” Garcia said, praising his friend’s “deep involvement in community life.”

When Garcia was elected to the City Council, he made Mr. Montes a precinct captain. In that role, Garcia said, Mr. Montes was “effective and loved” working tirelessly to get people out to vote.

Mr. Montes, Lozano and Garcia would talk about what they could do to improve the community around them which ultimately led them to the so-called Black and Brown coalition movement that helped elect Mayor Harold Washington.

“My dad started helping out Harold Washington in the early ’80s and he did so because he wanted to help out his community and somehow bring resources in,” Jose Montes said. “He told me numerous times when he started helping out Washington, Chuy and Rudy that he never wanted anything in return other than to clean up his block.”

That block also was famous for its parties.

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“My dad was very instrumental with the block parties and they were known as the best block parties in the city because he would always have live entertainment,” Jose Montes said. “He would have live mariachi and norteño bands. Mostly because he was an avid fan of mariachi music.”

Jose Montes said his father loved to sing, eventually taking over the microphone at any party.

Working with Chicago progressive leaders did bring countless memories, Jose Montes said, like when Washington and Garcia visited their home in early 1986 and brought along a guest — Richard Dent, the Chicago Bears’ defensive end and, by then, a Super Bowl champion.

After leaving Western Electric in 1983, Mr. Montes held several city jobs, eventually serving as 22nd Ward superintendent for the Department of Streets and Sanitation. He was known for driving his city-issued truck up and down the streets and alleys, often stopping to chat with neighbors about problems they had that he might be able to fix.

“My dad would leave home at 6 a.m. and sometimes be gone until 9 p.m. at night because he would go after work and drive around the neighborhood and report on lights out or trees that needed to be cut,” Jose Montes said. “He would basically spend the night going around the 22nd Ward and asking people what they needed help with.”

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He retired in 2010, but people still approached him with problems.

“Even in retirement, Raúl didn’t sit still. He and Maria enjoyed traveling, spending time with their children and grandchildren, and of course, having big parties,” Garcia said. “He also enjoyed helping at the corner grocery store or restaurant to stay busy and catch up on what was going on in the neighborhood, in Chicago politics, and in Mexico.”

Mr. Montes also mentored up-and-coming leaders in Little Village, like Michael Rodriguez, the current 22nd Ward alderman. Rodriguez met Mr. Montes shortly after graduating college in 2000.

“He leaves behind a legacy of service,” Rodriguez said. “He was one of the main people that taught me to work hard, remember where you come from and the importance of giving back.”

Mr. Montes, he said, was simply from a different generation of people who believed you put in an honest day of work for an honest day of pay.

“He leaves a major void in Little Village,” Rodriguez said. “He was a straight arrow guy, a family man, a God-fearing man from another era. He will be missed.”

A wake is planned Saturday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Hann Funeral Home, 8230 S. Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview. Survivors include his wife, Maria; sons Jose, Raúl Jr. and Miguel; and three grandchildren.

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