In 2003, Montana’s Family Restaurant was born. The restaurant is named after my father, Michael “Montana” O’Leary. My father performed in a western skit group called The Desperados. They did acts in Garber Iowa, along with many other areas. My mother also performed with my dad and The Desperados. Performing in the skit group was one of the many things my mother and father enjoyed doing together. When you enter the restaurant you will notice many photos throughout, of my father and how he dressed for the skits. You can really see the fun he had. In march of 2002, my father, Michael “Montana” O’Leary had passed away. With my mothers help, together we were able to start this adventure and opened Montana’s Family Restaurant.
My wife Cindy and I have worked at the restaurant from the day we opened, with the help of all our children working here as well. The kids attended school in Central City and have all since graduated from there. They have have all grown up around the restaurant and have loved working and helping out as much as they can. They have now took jobs in other areas and moved out of town. The kids still come in and help if asked. My three kids and I have all been on the Central City Fire Department as well. We have all enjoyed being a part of this adventure as a family and with the community. We look forward to continue to do so for many years to come.
Soon after we opened Montana’s Family Restaurant, my mother was still involved in The Desperados. So I decided to join with her and after about a year, I realized why my father and mother had so much fun performing with the skit group. The people we’d meet along the way would tell me stories of my father and the things he did, even the kids who’d seen the performance would come and ask if I was his son. I would tell them yes, we would trade stories and they would tell me how they remembered him, what he did and how he had passed down stories of his own, reliving the days of the old west. To this day we still have people visiting the restaurant, reliving those tales of my father. He was one-of-a-kind. My father had worked at Square D for 36 years and retired from his work, before he had passed. I still remember the days when I was young, looking out the front window and waving to him as he left for work, and watching out that window as he returned home.
