Obituary of Roger E. Howard

Roger Earl Howard, 88, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, March 6^th after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.  Roger was born in Johnstown, PA on August 3, 1931, the only child of Robena and Earl Howard.  He grew up in Lorraine Borough, played baseball and football for Ferndale High School and attended Michigan State University on a baseball and football scholarship.  After graduating from MSU, Roger returned to Johnstown and married JoAnn Brown in 1953.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War and was stationed for a time in Germany with his young family.  He returned to the US and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox where he pitched for several seasons before being side-lined by bursitis. 

His long career as an executive in the Power and Manufacturing industry took him to many places including Dansville, NY, Dallas, TX and Williamsport, PA, and also included a 2 ½ year assignment in England which allowed the family to make many memorable trips throughout the UK and Europe.  When he retired from the corporate world, he and JoAnn bought a business, Healthy Days, on Hilton Head, SC which he ran until his retirement.

Roger was a huge sports fan and loved watching his beloved MSU Spartans football and basketball games.  He was also an avid golfer and enjoyed playing the many beautiful courses on Hilton Head Island.  He loved his children and grandchildren dearly and in the summer you could hear gleeful sounds of “throw me higher, Grandpa, PapPap” coming from the local pool.  The beach was not his favorite, however, and his grandchildren laughed at the sight of him covered in beach towels from head to toe.

Roger and JoAnn were residents of Sea Pines for 30 years.  They were also members of Holy Family Catholic Church for 30 years where Roger served on several ministries, including the Parish Pastoral Council.  You could find Roger in church ushering at Mass every Sunday morning.

Roger is survived by his wife of 67 years, JoAnn Howard, children Beverly Harostock (Michael), Barbara Noblett (Jim), Roger Howard (Patti), Beth Anne Deyo (Monte) and Bridget Moore (Willie), grandchildren Brianna Mink (Jeff), Michael Harostock (Ashley), Timothy Howard (Crystal), Stephen Kirchner (Adriana), Christina Arvidson (Jackson), Nicholas Howard (Sarah), Matthew Harostock, Harrison Deyo, Patrick Moore, Brian Deyo and Aileen Moore, and nine great-grandchildren.

Roger was preceded in death by his parents, Robena and Earl Howard, son Timothy Howard, and grandson Monte Deyo, Jr.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11am on Saturday, March 14^th at Holy Family Catholic Church on Hilton Head, SC, preceded by the recitation of the holy rosary at 10:30am.

The family would like to thank the staff of NHC at Bluffton for their care of Roger over the past year and give a very special thanks to the staff of Hospice Care of South Carolina whose love and dedication to Roger touched our hearts in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation in Roger’s name.