It is with great sadness, we announce the death of Larry Dale Howard 71, of Boone, Iowa. A beloved father, grandfather, brother, son, and friend passed away at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, on February 22, 2019 after beating the odds and fighting lung cancer and rheumatoid arthritis for over 2 years.
Larry was born February 07, 1948 in Jefferson, Iowa, the son of Claude and Faye Howard and was the 7th of 10 children. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Boone where he resided off and on for the better part of his life. From his days shooting pool at the Bide-A-Wee, the days on the sandlot and at the ballpark playing baseball, getting a scoop at Boyd's Dairy, to hanging out with his many friends, Larry loved Boone.
Larry departed Boone High and entered the Navy, serving in Vietnam from 1964 to 1969 aboard the USS Coral Sea. While he rarely spoke about his time in the military, he refused to be called a "hero" or a "patriot". To many of us, however, he was every bit of those words. A half century after his service, he had the honor of selected, and participating, in the 2017 Boone County Freedom Flight to Washington D.C with his brother and brother-in-law.
After his years of service, he worked for the C&W, as an insurance salesperson, and for most of his life as a shipping clerk for the former Heinrich Envelope, and Ag Leader Technology in Ames.
He loved his family and the traditions his mother had set forth to assure that this family would grow together and closer even after her passing. Larry's favorite holiday was Thanksgiving where he and his brothers and sisters and many nieces, nephews, and their family would gather to give thanks for the closeness his family shared. For over 30 years, every year, his family came together and enjoyed meals, stories and great times. Larry could not have been more proud.
Larry was always quick with a joke, appropriate or not, and always tried to make others laugh and smile. If you have not heard the joke about the guy who went to the doctor because it hurt everywhere... just ask one of his friends.
He never hesitated to help when needed. Whether it was a family member, a friend, or a stranger, Larry would never turn down a chance to help someone who needed help. It was that dedication to helping when needed that led him to take up umpiring baseball. For many years, he umpired his boy's games, which led to him attending Little League Umpire School, various clinics, and umpiring over 2500 Little League games, most of which were at the Boone National Little League. Larry had the opportunity to umpire many State and Sectional Tournaments but his highlight was umpiring the NBC World Series, held in Carroll, IA. Larry Howard also spent almost a decade as a member of the Boone National Little League Board of Directors.
If you were unable able to find Larry, you could almost guarantee that you would find him and his friends at the Big Eddy or one their many secret spots along the river. Many nights he would wake his family with pride when he brought home "the BIG one". His kids never complained, as they knew they would be sharing the fruits of his labor cooked with a little ChuckWagon Onion Ring mix and some homemade tartar sauce soon.
Larry's heart was with his children, their wives, husbands, and grandchildren. He was willing to tell everyone who would listen a story about where they were working, what they were involved with, and all that his kids and grandchildren were interested in. He attended many events and loved to hear the stories when he was not able to attend. Larry was a proud dad and grandparent and loved his family very much.
Larry is survived by his children Michelle (David) Morgan, Jesse (Kelly) Howard, Bryon (Jennifer) Howard, Joshua (Summer) Howard; grandchildren Heather, Haley, Daniel, Christopher, Jenna, Kalista (Jeremy), Saydie, Taylan, Cayle, Brynlee and Lola; siblings Donald (Jo) Howard, Kenneth Howard, Rita (Joe) Bertsch, Lois (Bob) Buckley, Dixie Knight, Linda (Gary) Woodard, Marilyn (Lee) Clabaugh, Sherri Amendola, Connie (John) Brown; great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to family to be given to non-profit organizations at their discretion.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, March 11th from 5:30pm to 8pm at the Open Bible Church. The family will be available to share stories, laughs, and condolences throughout the evening. There will be a brief prayer service during the evening. An internment of his remains and service with a full veteran's graveside service will be held later this spring at the Veteran's Cemetery in Van Meter, IA. A notification will be made when that date has been set.
Online condolences may be directed to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com