Gary William Monter, 53, of Cairo, passed away Sunday, May 19, 2013 while on his bike near Dwight, Nebraska.
Funeral services, with a closed casket, will be at 11 am Thursday, May 23, in the Palmer High School Gymnasium in Palmer.  Visitation, with open casket, will be from 3-9 pm Wednesday at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home in Grand Island. Following the services Mr. Monter will be cremated and burial will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the Gary Monter Scholarship Fund.
Gary was born on August 24, 1959 at McCook, Nebraska to William and Mona (Cross) Monter. He grew up and received his education in Elwood, graduating from Elwood High School in 1978. Gary was a standout athlete in high school, especially track. Following high school he attended Kearny State where he also excelled as a member of the track team.  He graduated from Kearney State College in May of 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts, Secondary Education, History/Sociology/Social Science.
During his time at Kearney State he met his future bride, Jaye Stone. Gary and Jaye were united in marriage on August 18, 1984 in Columbus, Nebraska. They first made their home in Eads, Colorado where Gary taught at Eads High School from 1984-1993. He was also the volleyball and the girls track coach. In 1991 he was the Rocky Mountain News - Class A Volleyball Coach of the Year and the 1992 Denver Post - Class A Volleyball Coach of the Year. He then served as High School Administrative Assistant from 1990-1993, and the District Superintendent/High School Principal for the 1993/94 school year.  While at Eads, Gary earned his Master of Arts, Educational Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado in August of 1992.
In 1994 they moved to Bruning where he was the Junior High/High School Principal, the Athletic Director and head volleyball coach from 1994-1998. During his time in Bruning he earned his Specialist's Degree, Educational Administration: Superintendency, from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in May 1998.
The family moved to Cairo in 1998 where Gary was the Centura Junior High/High School Principal from 1998-2007. In 2007 Gary and Jaye continued to make their home in Cairo and Gary began working at Palmer Public Schools where he was currently serving as the Superintendent/Principal.
Gary was a respected leader in education receiving recognition from the Nebraska State Association of Secondary School Principals for High School Principal of the Year in 2006-2007.  He was also selected as the American Legion Middle School 2007 Teacher of the Year.
During his childhood, adolescent and adult years Gary developed a competitive fire and passion to be the best at everything he did, both on and off the field, and in the classroom. He carried this passion with him throughout every day of his life. He thrived on seeing others be successful, both students and teachers. He loved coaching, especially the teams his two boys, Garec and Alec, played on as they rose through the ranks of baseball from Tee Ball to American Legion. During the summers he tried to spend as much time as possible at the ballpark with his boys. He continued to have a love for the game, even after his boys' careers had ended.
When both boys moved away following high school, Gary took up two new hobbies, golf and cycling. In recent years he loved spending his free time on his bike, and especially looked forward to many weekend rides shared with his wife and many cycling friends.
He was a member of the United Methodist Church of Cairo and the Sons of the American Legion.
Survivors of the immediate family include his wife of 28 years, Jaye Monter of Cairo; his two sons, Garec and Alec Monter, both of Lincoln; his parents, William and Mona Monter of Elwood; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Brenda Monter of Waterloo, and Lori and Jay Buchanan, and their children Paige and Grant, all of Omaha, and his grandmother, Hazel Cross of Arapahoe, NE.
He is also survived by his father-in-law Ardean Stone of Columbus; his mother -in-law and her husband,  Sheila and Ivan Backes of Columbus; a sister -in-law, Jody, and her husband  Cliff Carter, and their children Jordan and Ryanne, all of Victorville, CA; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Gary was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Leo Cross; and his paternal grandparents, Otto and Minnie Monter.

Funeral services, with a closed casket, will be at 11 am Thursday, May 23, in the Palmer High School Gymnasium in Palmer.  Visitation, with open casket, will be from 3-9 pm Wednesday at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home in Grand Island. Following the services Mr. Monter will be cremated and burial will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to the Gary Monter Scholarship Fund.