For the last four decades, Dr. Alan Montgomery has spent his days caring for the vision of patients visiting his practice at 55021 M-51 N., Dowagiac.

Over the next two weeks, though, the local optometrist will have something else occupying his sights: retirement.

Montgomery will step down from his practice at the end of the month, on Aug. 31. The doctor has sold the business to the Southwest Vision Center. Doctors with the practice — which also has offices in Buchanan, Edwardsburg and Three Rivers — will begin seeing patients out of the Dowagiac location next month.

Montgomery, who has practiced in Dowagiac since 1977, said he made the decision to step away from the optometry business earlier this year after a talk with his family.

“I decided to retire while I’m still in good health,” Montgomery said. “It was just time.”

It will take some time for the local eye-doctor to envision doing something besides looking after his base of dedicated patients, some of whom he has been caring for since the late 1970s, he said.

Montgomery, a native of Detroit, grew up Hillsdale, Michigan, a small college town in the mid-south region of the state. His interest in vision was sparked during his formative years in his hometown, he said.

“I knew I wanted to get into something related to science, but I also wanted to do something where I could work with people — I didn’t want to be cooped up in a lab all day,” he said. “My family was good friends with one of the local optometrists, so they took me over to his office one day. I fell in love with the equipment he used, which got me interested in the business.”

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale College in 1964, Montgomery went on to study optometry at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago. After his graduation in 1969, the young doctor stayed on to help teach for several years.

While his time at the college gave him invaluable experience dealing with patients with a variety of vision problems, the 80-hour work weeks and bustle of working in the Chicago area took its toll on Montgomery and his wife, especially after the birth of their first son. They eventually relocated to Allegan, where he practiced for several years.

In 1977, he and his family decided to move again — this time to The Grand Old City. Montgomery took over the practice of Dr. McDonald, where he has seen patients ever since, he said.

“Hillsdale and Dowagiac had a lot in common, both being small towns,” Montgomery said. “I’ve always loved this kind of atmosphere.”

Over the past 40 years, Montgomery and his staff developed a strong connection with the hundreds of patients who walked through the doors of the practice, many of whom visited for decades, the doctor said. In comparison to offices in larger cities, Montgomery said he always made sure to give each of his patients the time and energy they deserved instead of trying to cram as many appointments into his workday as possible.

“Glasses were always secondary in my mind,” he said. “The health of the patient was always my first priority.”

On top of caring for its vision, Montgomery also poured much of his time into the wellbeing of the community as well, he said. He volunteered for years with the Dowagiac Civitan Club, where he and other members volunteered with the Special Olympics in South Bend. The optometrist also supported causes such as the local rocket football and AYSO soccer teams, as well as the Beckwith Theatre Company — though he was never vocal about his various philanthropic ventures.

“I feel like everybody has to give something back to the community,” he said. “In my case, I gave a lot of my time.”

While he is still not sure what he will be setting his sights on next, Montgomery and his wife plan to downsize after his retirement, though they would like to stick around the Michiana area, he said. On top of getting a chance to travel more often, he said he is interested in volunteering, as well as playing more golf.

While it will be hard to say goodbye to his staff and the many patients he has cared for the past four decades, Montgomery is confident he is leaving Dowagiac’s vision needs in good hands. Most of all, he is proud of the legacy he and his team have created together, he said.

“Everyone I hired shared the same small-town mindset,” he said. “They always treated customers like they were a member of their family. We made this a happy place, not a forlorn one, for people to visit.”