Helen “Montee” Montgomery (1923-2005) was the daughter of Peter and Helen “Nellie” Irvine Montgomery, who immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1920. The family settled in North Arlington, New Jersey, where Montgomery was born on April 22, 1923, before moving to Central Falls, Rhode Island. Lucy J. Rhinehart (1921-2014) was born on November 20, 1921 to Leonard P. and Ethel L. McWharf Rhinehart in Seneca Falls, N.Y.

Both Montgomery, who played the drums, and Rhinehart, who played the trumpet, joined the USO during WWII. They met while performing with the USO in Guam and became life partners, although they hid their relationship for most of their lives. They continued performing after the war, including under the name the Lu-Wows. Rhinehart occasionally appeared on Bob Hope’s overseas tours, and she later worked as a special education teacher in the Belleville School District.

The couple lived in New Baden, Illinois. Montgomery passed away on October 21, 2005, and she is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in South St. Louis County. Rhinehart passed away on November 16, 2014, and she is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Jennings, Missouri.