Howard Nelson Mountcastle Jr.

-Obituary lovingly written by the family of Howard Nelson Mountcastle Jr.
Howard Nelson Mountcastle Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather, and minister, passed away on February 9, 2025, at the age of 91. Born February 21, 1933, in Ohio to Howard and Clara (Rogers) Mountcastle, Howard was a lifelong servant of God and a dedicated scholar of the Scriptures.
Howard graduated from New Moorefield High School in Ohio in 1951 before attending Cincinnati Bible Seminary where he met Lovell Sue Montgomery from Sulphur Oklahoma. Married on June 17, 1954 they attended Ozark Bible College in Joplin, MO where they graduated, he with a Bachelor of Theology in 1955. Their 70-year marriage was a testament to his devotion to family and faith. His enjoyed participating in sports, including track, baseball and playing basketball on the Cincinnati Bible Seminary team.
For 63 years, Howard ministered full-time, with passion and purpose, preaching and teaching the Word of God in churches in Missouri, Indiana, Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma. He served as an elder at Neosho Christian Church for the last 7 years, dedicating his life to helping others and strengthening his community. Howard was also a highly respected scholar in Greek and Hebrew, which deepened his understanding of the Bible and enriched his ministry.
In addition to his theological pursuits, Howard had a deep love for music. He enjoyed singing, playing the violin, and performed in orchestras over the years. He acquired a large library due to his love of studying and reading. Playing an active role in Christian Service camps, he spent many weeks each summer reaching out to youth, teaching, coaching and counseling. He also acquired a skill for ventriloquism, purchasing a dummie to aid in teaching younger children. His pride in our Republic of America led him to impersonate one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson (complete with costume) in presentations for churches and civic groups. His passion for unity, led him to serve on the board of the North American Christian Convention for 2 years as well as being instrumental in bringing the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ together. He was an active member of Retired Ministers in the Joplin area as well.
Perceiving a need, he became skilled and knowledgeable for tax preparation and went on to help many ministers, missionaries and church people with filing their taxes for 20 plus years. More recently, he had begun to write a book on the subject of Islam vs Christianity but sadly, was not able to bring that to publication.
Howard is survived by his wife, Lovell Sue Mountcastle; his children, Marsha Stevens (Kansas City, MO), Mark Mountcastle (Cabool, MO), Maureen (with husband Mark) Otoole Koger (San Diego, CA), and Melinda (with husband Russell) Crawley (Maysville, AR); twelve grandchildren; and eleven great-grandchildren, with one more on the way in April. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Sue Carolyn (Mountcastle) Hupman.
A visitation will be held on February 21, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Clark Funeral Home - Chapel of Memories. The celebration of life will take place on February 22, 2025, at 10:00 AM at Neosho Christian Church. A graveside service will follow at Oakwood Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Kairos Benevolence Fund, P.O. Box 19142, Tucson, Arizona 85731-9142.
Howard's legacy of faith, love, and service will continue to inspire those who knew him.