Late Phillies chairman David Montgomery to be honored at a public service in June

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Phillies fans will have a chance to celebrate the life of David Montgomery.

Two days after Montgomery died at age 72 following a five-year fight with jaw-bone cancer, his family has announced that a public service will be held at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, at Citizens Bank Park. Gates will open at 2 p.m., and parking will be free in ballpark lots.

"One of David's favorite times of the year was the MLB draft," Lyn Montgomery, David's wife, said in a statement released Friday by the Phillies. "We couldn't think of a better way to celebrate David's life, and his love of the game, than to invite his friends, colleagues and Phillies fans into his second home at the conclusion of the draft."

Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft will be held from June 3-5. The Phillies are idle on June 6 after returning home from a series in San Diego.

In lieu of flowers, the Montgomery family requests that contributions be made to:

Phillies Charities, Inc.

Citizens Bank Park

One Citizens Bank Way

Philadelphia, PA 19148

Tributes to Montgomery have been pouring in from across baseball and the Philadelphia region. He began working for his hometown Phillies as a sales apprentice in 1971 and rose through the organization, becoming team president in 1997. Since 2015, he had been the Phillies’ chairman.

The Phillies are planning to wear a patch with Montgomery’s initials — “DPM” — on their jerseys. The team will have a moment of silence before Monday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. And all fans attending that game will receive a commemorative scorecard in honor of Montgomery, who kept score of every Phillies game during his nearly 50 years in baseball.