Montgomery Joe Kuklenski

Monte was born August 22, 1952 in Lockwood, Missouri, to Joseph E. and M. June Kuklenski. He graduated from Parkview High School in Springfield, Missouri and went on to earn a BFA in Acting from Missouri State University (then Southwest Missouri State) and an MFA in Directing from Southern Methodist University.

He and Valerie Geyer met in Springboro, Ohio, when he performed in musicals at La Comedia Dinner Theatre. They married in Dallas in 1980 while he was completing his MFA. His directing pursuits took them to Little Rock in 1981 where he was Associate Artistic Director at Arkansas Repertory Theatre. In 1983 they moved to Los Angeles where he began a long and varied career in the television industry. Through the mid ‘80s Monte worked on commercials and TV series, and he was production stage manager for several plays and musicals at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara. He was one of three stage managers of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

He joined the fledgling Fox television network in 1988, managing stages at its Hollywood lot. Over the years his role at Fox evolved to include managing the construction of regional studios around the country for Fox Sports Network, a major satellite facility in Texas, new studios for National Geographic in Washington, D.C. and a massive data center in Arizona. He retired in 2021 as senior vice president of Facilities and Construction for Fox Networks Group.

In addition to his wife, Monte is survived by their daughter Renee, a graphic designer who lives in Chicago; their son Thomas, a New York-based actor and musician; sister Jill Scruggs (Joe) of Springfield; sister Julie Peck (David) of Springfield; sister-in-law Lindsay Geyer (Jon Inge) of Edmonds, Washington; brother-in-law Rick Geyer (Michael Todd) of Burbank, California; brother-in-law George Kenton of Palm Springs, California; cousin Joe Randle of Huntington Beach, California; and several nieces and nephews.

Monte’s many friends from his youth, college years and long career have provided great comfort and warm memories for his family.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Tuesday, October 24, at St. James Presbyterian Church, 19414 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, California, 91356. An additional memorial will be held Tuesday, November 21, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 922 W. Republic Road, Springfield, Missouri 65807.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Monte Kuklenski Memorial Scholarship for the benefit of MSU theater students. If by mail: payable to Missouri State University Foundation, Kenneth E. Meyer Alumni Center, 300 S. Jefferson, Suite 100, Springfield, MO, 65806; or online: missouristatefoundation.org/waystogive.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/sherman-oaks-cremation for the Kuklenski family.