Joseph "Joe" Howard

Joseph "Joe" Howard, 89, of Worcester, formerly of Rockville, Maryland, died Friday, November 7, 2008 in Notre Dame Long Term Care Center, Worcester, after a long illness. He was born in Boston, in 1919, and raised in Roslindale, the proud son of Irish and Italian immigrants, Joseph and Rose (Cella) Howard. Joe graduated from English High School in Roslindale in 1936; from the Roxbury Latin School in West Roxbury, in 1938; from Harvard College in 1942; and then after military service with the U.S. Army in World War II, from Boston College Law School in 1949.

An enthusiastic explorer, Joe moved to Pine Bluffs, Wyoming in 1949, and after admission to the Wyoming State Bar in 1950, practiced law in the State for several years. He met his first wife, Helen Goins in Cheyenne, Wyoming. They married in Colorado Springs, Colorado and returned to live in Massachusetts in 1956. They had three children before Helen predeceased Joe in 1971.

After returning East, Joe began a career with the U.S. Government. In 1962, he accepted a position with the U.S. Foreign Service and served tours overseas in Caracas, Venezuela and Berlin, Germany, which afforded him the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and the Caribbean. He had a great love for foreign cultures and spoke several languages fluently.

Joe and his family moved to Maryland in 1968, where he resided for over thirty five years. During these years, he served as a procurement attorney with the U.S Government, first with the Small Business Administration, and then with the Department of the Army, prior to his retirement in the mid 1980's. Joe met his current wife, Irma, while in Maryland and they were married in 1978.

A devoted father and grandfather, Joe combined his love of travel and family. He traveled with Irma to her native Germany on their honeymoon and later traveled with Irma to Ireland and Spain. He traveled to Costa Rica to visit his daughter, Liz, while she was serving in the Peace Corps, and traveled with his son, Joe, to Favale di Malvaro, Italy to explore their Italian ancestry, and just four years ago traveled with his daughter, Joanna, and her husband, Paul, to Wyoming to revisit Pine Bluffs and reminisce about his early years there. His children remember many fun tours of Boston, which typically ended in the North End, where his mother was raised and his father worked at the Hanover Street Post Office. Joe loved chocolate, could play blackjack for hours, and was an avid fan of both the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Redskins. He will be remembered by friends and family for his humble generosity, his quick wit, and the twinkle in his eyes.

Joe is survived by his wife Irma; his children and their spouses, Joanna Howard and Paul Fordiani of Darnestown, Maryland, Joe and Betty Howard of Paxton, and Liz Howard and Maurice LaPointe of Storrs, Connecticut; his stepchildren, Ralph Bowman and Claudia Berg, and by Claudia's husband Eric; a brother and sister-in-law, William and Elizabeth Howard of Westwood and their family; his grandchildren, Katie, Sarah, Margaux, James, Alex, Matthew, Peter, and Danny; a niece, Marion Yoder and her husband, Terry Roker of Cheyenne, Wyoming; two cousins, Sr. Ann Howard and Sr. Regina Howard and their families.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Notre Dame Long Term Care Center, as well as the staff at the Eisenberg Assisted Living Residence, for their excellent care during Joe's final years.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, November 10th, in the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden. The funeral for Joe will be held on Tuesday from the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Christ The King Church, 1052 Pleasant St., Worcester, with a reception following in the Johnson room located in the Church. Burial will follow the reception in Mount Calvary Cemetery in Roslindale, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Joe to the American Diabetes Association, 330 Congress St., 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02210; or the Montgomery College Foundation, 900 Hungerford Drive, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20850.

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