John L. HOWE

John L. Howe, aviator pioneer and wonderful storyteller, of Nanaimo, B.C. passed away peacefully with family at his side on Thursday, March 22nd, 2012 in his 89th year of life. John was born November 11th, 1923, to Florence Long and Martin Howe, on a ranch south of Lafleche, Saskatchewan. John grew up alongside 10 siblings, spending a great deal of time herding cattle during the summer months. In the spring of 1935, during the Depression, 11-year-old John helped his father save their starving cattle by herding them all the way to greener pastures in Manitoba. John joined the R.C.A.F. in 1942 when he was 18 years old, serving his country overseas as a pilot. After World War II, John Howe formed Prairie Flying Service Ltd. in Regina with three other war veterans, who became the first to pioneer aerial crop spraying in Canada. In order to subsidize his income, John worked at the Income Tax Dept where he met the love of his life, Lorraine Ketcheson, and the two were married in 1949. Prairie Flying Service continued to expand, and eventually offered aircraft charter, sales, pilot training, parts, and aircraft rebuilding. By 1977, John had become the sole owner, and sold Prairie Flying, which eventually divided into separate companies that still exist today. John was well respected in the flying industry and admired by his peers. In November 2005, John Howe was inducted into the Saskatchewan Aviation Hall of Fame, which recognized his many achievements. The greatest joy of John's life was his family and friends. John will be lovingly remembered by his children - son Rae and wife Barb Labatt; son Marty; son Pat and wife Brenda; daughter Lorrie and husband Alex Chepovetsky; his grandchildren - Ashley, Taylor, Kavita and Maya; his brother Jim; his sister Mabel Otto; his sisters in-law Barbara, Del, Barb, and Anne; numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, friends and colleagues. John was predeceased by Lorraine, his loving wife of 50 years; brothers Donald, Martin, Bill, Tom, Patrick; sisters Thelma Carefoot-Mowat, Anne Caragata, Evelyn Howe and Shirley Nagel.
A celebration of John's life will be held at 1:30pm, April 1st at the Nanaimo Golf Club, 2800 Highland Blvd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John Howe's memory to the charity of one's choice. Family and friends are invited to visit John's tribute webpage at www.circledigital.com/john to remember and celebrate John's life.

This obituary was originally published in the Nanaimo Daily News and Harbour City Star (Nanaimo, BC).