Lake Saint Louis home is a perfect blend of their lives
When Susan Montigne suggested the home she shared with her husband, Michael, for an At Home , she sent a short note with her photos that included this key phrase: "Our home is a blend of our lives and love for each other, as well as for Lavern, our cat." Here's how their blended home came to be.
The Montignes got an unexpected second shot at love in 2019. The widow and the widower hadn't anticipated a life-changing romance and a major reshuffling of lives and homes, but that meddlesome Cupid had other ideas.
"Ours was a chance meeting, but it feels like we went through our lives and we were meant to be together," Susan says. "I was by myself for 13 years, happy doing my job, reading the paper, talking to my friends, and then I met him," Susan says.
Michael was gob-smacked as well. "I wasn't looking for anybody. In fact, I mostly lived in my basement and I didn't go out often. I'll tell you, when I met her it was like I'd known her my entire life," Michael says.
After a short courtship, the two married. Susan sold her one-bedroom condo in St. Louis and moved into Michael's townhouse in Lake Saint Louis. Then COVID hit and the newlyweds spent all their time together. They used it to transform Michael's bachelor townhouse into a reflection of both partners' past lives, accomplishments and talents. They managed the successful merger with grace, good humor, flexibility and an unbounded appreciation for each other.
Their past lives couldn't have been more different.
Susan grew up in Black Jack and commuted to St. Louis to high school at St. Joseph Academy. She spent her career in Catholic education first as a teacher, and later as a principal.
She ended her career as the director of marketing for all schools in the St. Louis Archdiocese.
Michael was raised in Ferguson,and joined the Army at 20. When his tour ended, he took a local discharge in Hawaii where he'd been stationed and stayed there for 40 years. He used his GI bill to get a college education, then started a number of businesses on Maui. They included bars, a deli, restaurants, an art gallery, a clothing store and a jewelry shop. "I never had more than two open at any one time, though," he says.
He returned to St. Louis in 2012 to care for his aging parents and moved into the townhouse in Lake Saint Louis where they live now.
They both enjoy the three-bedroom, three-bath townhouse. They made changes to the main floor by taking out a wall to create an open floor plan. "We opened it into a gathering room," Susan says. She added white crown molding and painted all the 1990s era dark wood white to enhance the open feel.
The galley kitchen ends at the table where they take their meals and look out over the back porch and deck. The fully finished open lower level includes Michael's workroom and office and a party room. They also have garage, which Michael keeps clean and excessively well-organized. Framed photos of the 40+ cars he's owned and a few photos of that old cowboy John Wayne cover the walls.
"Our house is so comfortable when you walk in," Michael says. He also thinks it has a yin/yang energy they both like. "The main floor is definitely female, and the downstairs is definitely male," he says.
Michael's man cave downstairs got a makeover when Susan suggested some changes. "I have a normal couch now as opposed to the Elvis Presley black leather and chrome furniture she didn't like. So that furniture took a hike."
They have a sign above the entry to the downstairs — The Party Room. "It's not stuffy," Michael says. "It brings you back to being a kid."
What was the third bedroom took on a new life as "The Gnome Room," which is home to 50 or so well-loved gnomes. They pop-up in the house on a regular rotating basis. The couple has collected books they both enjoy reading including children's books such as Dr. Seuss and "Pete the Cat," who also sometimes appears in their home. "I guess it's my education background," Susan says.
Michael likes to display what their lives are about on the walls. In his downstairs spaces he displays images of Superman, whom he loved as a kid. The walls include framed comic books, an area for "Three Stooges" memorabilia, and framed photos of all of the "major movie stars" he liked — King Kong, Frankenstein, Godzilla and other monsters.
"Michael dedicated the front bedroom on the main floor to me," Susan says.
"I call it her office with her wall of accolades. I'm proud of what she accomplished," Michael says. He put up awards and certificates she'd earned, photos of her at events and mementos from her professional life. "We have one of her with the archbishop," Michael says.
Although they thoroughly enjoy each other's company, their house allows for some separation as well. "We each still have our own worlds, which is neat," Michael says. "We have an understanding that one place Susan can't go into is my office and workshop to vacuum and clean and move things around, and I'm not allowed in the kitchen. She's a much better cook."
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