Phil Howes

Phil Gene Howes of Del City, Oklahoma, passed away with his loving wife, Barbara by his side on September 29, 2025. He was born to parents Willard Gayland Howes and Katheryn Anna Lea Findley on November 14, 1958, in Maryville, Missouri. He was the eldest son of three, and graduated in May of 1977 in Altus, Oklahoma.
He met and married the love of his life, Barbara Shea, in Altus, Oklahoma, and they spent 34 wonderful years together.
Phil believed in doing what needed to be done and working hard to get it done. Over the course of 46 years, he worked at various bases and will be remembered for his strong work ethic. He started out working as a bus boy for the Officer's Club at Altus Air Force Base at the age of 16 and eventually worked his way up the ladder as warehouse manager, to assistant manager at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, and then to manager at Arnold Air Force Base in Tennessee and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
Phil loved his sports, just as much as he loved his family. He was a coach for many years for his children's teams. He would officiate many games of children baseball and basketball for the city of Altus. Later on, he would officiate for adult slow pitch. Most weekends during football season, you would find him cheering on his favorite teams. He was a loyal and dedicated fan to the Kansas City Chiefs and the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
Phil is preceded in death by his parents, Willard and Katheryn, and his youngest brother, Jay.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara Howes; his children, Heath Howes and his wife Savannah of Wildwood, MO, Kale Howes and his wife Vikki of Elk City, OK, Reyna Alexander and her husband Pequeno (Ty) of Altus, OK, Wyatt Shea of Round Rock, TX, and Catrina Howes Blasi and her partner Jessica Walczyk of Salem, OR; his grandchildren, Weslee Miller, Aiden Howes, Parker Howes, Rebekah Blasi, Jasper Blasi, Magnus Walczyk, Kiah Alexander; honorary grandchildren, Dahlia Walczyk and Freyja Walczyk; his brother, Mark Howes and his wife Maria of Altus, OK; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Phil never met a stranger, he may not have remembered your name at that moment, but he remembered knowing you. He made friends everywhere he went. He was loyal, generous, kind, and always ready to lend a hand.
Have you ever heard the saying that a person from Missouri was typically as stubborn as a mule. If you looked up that reference, there would be a picture of Phil. He was definitely the epitome of a stubborn Missouri boy.
A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00pm on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at Ford Chapel at 315 S. Sooner Road, Midwest City, OK 73110.