Howard Jay Dion

Howard Dion, an Entrepreneur, photographer, Army veteran, and family man, passed away peacefully, surrounded by loving family members on Wednesday, December 31. He was 81.

Born in Philadelphia on May 7, 1944, he attended Northeast High School before enlisting in the U.S. Army. He met his future wife of 58 years, Rebecca Lee Elizabeth Wagner, while stationed in Fort Eustis, VA. He was serving as a cook in an award-winning military dining facility. She was part of a theatrical production on the base.

They first lived in Center City Philadelphia, then Elkins Park, then Bensalem, where they resided 50 years before moving to Mount Laurel, NJ.

Howard owned two franchises of Lawn Doctor, in Bensalem and Northampton, PA, building them to a 70 percent concentration rate in those two geographic areas from 1978 until about 1988. He then started Matrix Consulting Group, a sales consulting and training company, which he operated until his retirement in 2011.

An avid photographer, Howard developed his own style of high-key white-out photography in which he highlighted his subjects, who were most often ordinary people he encountered on the streets and recreational areas of the greater Philadelphia area. His technique appeared in several books on photography. His home was adorned with his photography, which he was proud to show off, without being a showoff.

He also wrote poetry, often lending human traits to the animals he'd see through his window, and often published in poetry journals.

He is survived by his loving wife Rebecca (Becky); beloved son Brian Gregory Dion (and his fiance Janis Godlewski); beloved daughter Melanie Britt Elliott (and her husband Tom Elliott): granddaughters Brianna Renee Dion, Kirsten Leigh Dion (and her fiancé, Najem Qachi), and Olivia Lynn Elliott; and great-granddaughter Amira Jade Qachi. He was preceded in death by his father, Theodore Dion; mother Rosalee Bernstein; beloved brother Lonnie Adam Dion; and cherished grandson Nicholas Anthony Dion.

Funeral services will be on Thursday at the Givnish Funeral Home in Cinnaminson NJ. A gathering will be held from 10 - 11 am, with a service beginning at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Leukemia And Lymphoma Society in memory of Nicholas Dion, https://rarediseases.org/organizations/leukemia-lymphoma-society/