Lora June Howard

June Howard, age 92, passed away Friday, January 22, just three days before her 93rd birthday. While she resided in Colorado Springs for nearly 60 years, she lived the last few years of her life in Steamboat Springs in the homes of her grandchildren surrounded by love, faith, and family.

Lora June Howard was born on January 25th, 1923 in Lawrenceville, Illinois to Elmer and Irene (Mitchell) Conour. She graduated from O'Fallon Township High School in O'Fallon, Illinois in 1940. She was the class secretary, a precursor to a position that would eventually become her life long career. Having a zest for adventure and travel combined with her brave spirit, after high school June moved to Saint Louis, Missouri where she attended business and stenographer school. During that time, she courted her future husband, Robert Joseph Howard. In 1942, alone, she took the train to New York and married Robert, aka "Howard" at Mitchel Field Air Base.

Following her adventuresome spirit and desire "to see the world", June and her husband lived in Japan and England, and travelled throughout Europe before she and her family returned to New York and settled in the town of Goshen. In 1957 she and Howard moved with their four children to Colorado Springs where she began her 30 year civil service career as the chief secretary to several high ranking Army Generals including the Chief Commanding Officer of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), and eventually retired in 1988.

Her husband died in 1977. After his passing she continued to work and courageously began to rebuild her life. She attended night classes at Pikes Peak Community College where she earned an Associate's Degree in 1980. At the age of 54, she took night lessons at the Broadmoor and learned to ski and shortly thereafter took up golf. In fact, she proudly displayed a "Hole in One" plaque from Patty Jewitt Golf Course in her so called "trophy room." She was an avid sports fan, especially fond of the Stanford Cardinal, Arizona Wildcats, and Broncos football teams. After retirement, her ongoing love of travel and adventure saw her traveling all over the world.

She is survived by her daughter, Jean Gillette, and two sons, Russell and Dan, her grandchildren; Tricia Howard, Devinne Howard, Seb and Dax Gillette, Casey and Scott Howard, Kelly Howard DePasquale, Cooper and Henry Howard, Emily Howard Barnhart, six great grandchildren, and her two daughters - in -law, Sandy and Sally Howard.

She was preceded in death by not only her husband, but also a son, Bob Howard.

She will be remembered as a loving Mother, a hard worker, and a brave soul. May the peace of our Lord be always with her.

An open service will be held on Friday, February 19th at 10:00 a.m. at the Evergreen Cemetery Chapel. A reception will follow the service at Patty Jewitt Golf Club.