Howard Epstein

Dr. Howard Ivan Epstein, PhD, 84, of Manchester, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 16, 1941, Howard lived a life defined by intellectual rigor, professional dedication, and steadfast loyalties.

Howard was a respected and admired Professor of Engineering at the University of Connecticut, where he served as a tenured faculty member for many decades. Throughout his distinguished career, he influenced generations of students and colleagues through disciplined scholarship, exacting standards, and his unwavering belief that any problem-given sufficient thought and effort-could be solved.

Beyond academia, Howard was deeply involved in community theater and appeared in numerous productions. He was also an avid ballroom dancer, always bringing enthusiasm to the dance floor. A lifelong and devoted fan of the New York Mets and UConn Huskies women's basketball, he followed each season closely and seldom missed a game.

Howard had a lifelong love of dogs and, in his later years, found constant companionship in his beloved dog, Starshine. Even as the years passed, he remained intellectually engaged and devoted to the interests that had long occupied both his mind and his time.

Howard is survived by his daughter, Holly Christie and her husband, John Murray, of Portland, Connecticut; his son, Matthew Epstein and his wife, Dina, of Charleston, South Carolina; his grandchildren, Meghan Friedlander and her husband, David; Nicole Christie; and Riley Krupen and his fiancée, Emily Anderson; as well as his bonus daughters, Amy Anderson and her husband, Scott, of Windsor, Connecticut, and Rebecca Morrison and her husband, Brian, of Westerly, Rhode Island.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Miriam Epstein, and by his brother and sister-in-law, Marvin and Gilda Epstein.

A celebration of Howard's life will be held at the Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, 50 Naubuc Ave, on Thursday, March 5, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. To leave a condolence, or share a memory with the family, please visit FarleySullivan.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation, https://secure.fidelco.org/site/Donation, at 103 Vision Way, Bloomfield, CT 06002, or the American Humane Society, https://ahms.org/donate, at 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 360 Washington, DC 20036.