Eugene Benton Howard

Eugene B. "Shorty" Howard, retired AT&T Supervisor, was born on a farm SE of Mulvane, KS (10/22/1925) to Everett & Ethel (Storey) Howard. He joined the Navy in1944 & served aboard a Destroyer Escort at a port in Shanghai, China at the end of WWII. After returning home he worked with SW BELL bringing Dial up service to western KS, in 7 cities and surrounding farms; converting multiple offices to Electronic switching and later to computer run phone service. Gene married his first wife Betty Newman of Douglas, KS and they raised 2 grateful daughters, Vicky (Robert Tutt) Howard of Wichita, KS and Rita (Phil Harrison) Howard of Eagle Point, OR. After Betty died, Gene married Gwendolyn (Proffitt) of Wichita, KS. When they retired in 1981 they began full-time RV travel for 6 years visiting many locations in the countries of Canada, USA & Mexico. They settled in Newberg, OR while still traveling 6-9 months of the year over the next 17 years. After Gwen died Gene moved to Medford Oregon. He was preceded in death by his parents, Everett and Ethel Howard, his wife, Betty, his wife, Gwen, his brother, Dwayne, his brother, Burt, and his stepson, Charles Profit. He is survived by his daughters, Vicky Howard and Rita Howard, stepdaughters Nannette Martin (Don Mauer) of Durham, North Carolina and Rozlyn Shirack of Salem, Oregon and Vickie Llamas of Wichita, KS, his brother Mike of Boulder, Colorado, grandchildren Jerome, John, Annie, Stephanie, Karen, and Jason. As he entered his 90's he chose ways to make the world a better place by sending out a joke every day & planting milkweed for the Monarch butterflies in the migration path. He was deeply loved ... always and forever.