Douglas L. Howard

Mr. Douglas L. Howard, 68, of Colonial Heights, Va., passed away at his home Friday, June 26, 2009.

He was born in Wilson, N.C., Sept. 5 1940. He attended Saint Leo's College and was a graduate of the Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science. He was both a licensed embalmer and funeral director.

On Nov. 1, 1989, Mr. Howard retired from the Army at the rank of master sergeant after having served 23 years on active duty. At the time of retirement, he was assigned to the Quartermaster Center and School's Mortuary Affairs Center. With the exception of an assignment as a special agent with the Defense Investigative Service, the majority of his active duty service was with mortuary affairs organizations. Those assignments included several years as a mortuary affairs instructor at Fort Lee; a tour of duty with the U.S. Army Mortuary, Saigon, Republic of Vietnam; an assignment to the U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii; an assignment to the U.S. Army Affairs Agency, Europe; and multiple assignments to the Mortuary and Casualty Support Division, Casualty and Memorial Affairs Operations Center, Alexandria, Va.

Following retirement from active duty, Mr. Howard returned to the Army as a Department of the Army Civilian Mortuary Program Specialist assigned to the Casualty and Memorial Affairs Operations Center. He remained with that agency until June 1996 when he joined the Mortuary Affairs Center, where he served as the deputy director for the past 13 years. During his years of service, he played critical roles advising and assisting the Department of Defense, national agencies, and other countries during various crises around the world and is considered one of the leading experts in mortuary affairs. He served his country with distinction in the wake of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when he was assigned to the Pentagon as an integral part of the disaster recovery team. He also served on the disaster recovery team in Indonesia following the Tsunami of December 2004.

His military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster; the Bronze Star; the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Army Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Good Conduct Medal, 7th award; and the Distinguished Instructor Award. As a Department of the Army Civilian employee, Mr. Howard has received three awards of the Commander's Award for civilian service and the Civilian Meritorious Service Award. His most recent award was the Ancient Order of Saint Martin which was bestowed on him at the Quartermaster Foundation Dinner held at the Lee Club on Fort Lee on Friday, June 19, 2009. The award is the most prestigious award that any one associated with the quartermaster corps can hope to achieve. Mr. Howard was just the 12th person in the entire world to receive this great honor.

Mr. Howard served his community diligently as chairman of the Transportation and Safety Commission of the City of Colonial Heights. He also served faithfully at the Colonial Heights Baptist Church in various roles including: chairman of the Finance Committee, member of the Pastoral Search Committee, and lead usher.

Mr. Howard is survived by his wife of nearly 44 years, Jean Hooks Howard; two sons and daughters-in-law, Stephen Howard and his wife Sharre Moon of Chester, Va., and Jonathan Howard and his wife Tamala of Hopewell, Va.; eight grandchildren, Brandon, Kayla, and Kyle Howard, Jessie and Jamie Alexander, Joshua, Andrew, and Jesse Howard; three sisters and brothers-in-law, Cheryl and Cecil Bradley of Wilson, N.C., Kay and Randy Medlin of Wilson, N.C., and Linda and Billy Manning of Stantonsburg, N.C.; a brother, Phillip Howard of Washington, N.C.; sister-in-law, Christine Bryan of Goldsboro, N.C.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins

The family will receive friends on Monday, June 29, 2009, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Colonial Heights Baptist Church, located at 17201 Jefferson Davis Highway, Colonial Heights, VA 23834. The Funeral will be conducted at Colonial Heights Baptist Church on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Mike Osborne and Chaplain (MAJ) David Green officiating. Entombment to follow at Southlawn Memorial Park & Mausoleum in Prince George, Va. Flowers are welcome or contributions may be made to Colonial Heights Baptist Church. Arrangements by the Colonial Heights Chapel of the E. Alvin Small Funeral Homes & Crematory, 2033 Boulevard. Condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com.