Donald Howes

Donald William Howes, 69, of Dubuque, passed away Saturday, February 21, 2026, at Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque.

Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday, February 28, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2025 Jackson St., Dubuque. Rev. Jonathan Crawford will officiate. Interment will be private at Asbury Cemetery.

Donald was born June 21, 1956 in Dubuque, the son of Harold Otto Edward Howes and Gertrude Marie (Heuer) Howes. He married Lisa Herting in 2009.

He graduated with a BA in Business Administration, Finance, and Marketing from Clarke College in 1999, and also received a diploma in Robotics Technology from National Technical Schools in California. He retired in 2020 as Finance Director at SMG.

He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church, the Financial Management Association, International National Honor Society, Rotary International Harris Fellow, and a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Donald was an avid musician, and played drums in London Park, Snowblind, Nothing But Trouble, and Stranded. In his retirement, Donald enjoyed woodworking. He took great joy in his grandchildren.

Donald is survived by his wife, Lisa Howes, of Dubuque, his daughter, Jessica (Cory) Petitgout, of Candler, NC; his step-daughter, Ann (D.J.) Fultner, of Miles, IA; his step-son, Michael (Alissa Benson) Wernimont, of Sherrill, IA; his grandchildren, Rilyn, Odessa, Annaleigh, Larissa, Kendra, and Marcus; his twin brother, Ronald (Barbara) Howes, of Coventry, RI; his brother, Michael Howes, of Dubuque; and two sisters, Deborah (Ronald) Posey, of Hayes, VA, and Rebekah Clarke, of East Dubuque, IL; his brother-in-law, Mike (Karen) Herting, of CA; his sister-in-law, Mary (Guy Kennicker) Miller, of Key West, IA; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Thadeas R. Howes; his niece, Katrina Howes; his nephew, William R. Howes; and his sister-in-law, Kelli Howes.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in his name may be made to Dubuque Trees Forever at dubuquetreesforever.org