Wallace "Beaver" Lee Howe

Wallace Lee Howe, lovingly known as “Beaver,” was born on December 4, 1930, in Stonewall, Arkansas. He passed peacefully on February 23, 2026, at the age of 95, leaving behind a legacy rooted in hard work, loyalty, and deep love for his family and community.

Wallace proudly served his country in the United States Air Force as a Technical Sergeant, where he earned his first set of flight wings — a symbol of honor, discipline, and commitment to something greater than himself. After his service, he returned home to farm in Lafe, Arkansas, the town he never left. The land was more than his occupation; it was his calling and the foundation of everything he built.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George Lee Howe and Sally Vester Hyatt Howe; his beloved wife, Dorothy Marie Howe; his brother, Donald Howe; his son, Timothy Lee Howe; his daughter-in-law, Margaret Anna Howe; and his great-granddaughter, Josie Mae Austin.

He is survived by his daughter, Pam Lyerly (Murray); his son, Scott Howe (Melissa); his grandchildren Dustin Howe, Stacy Griffin, Katie Combs (Zach), Grant Howe (Megan), Jordan Lyerly, Lindsay Fry, and Will Tarry (Meagan), and his great-grandchildren Gavin Howe, Mia Howe, Cash Austin, Barrett Austin, Case Combs, and Charlotte Howe, along with bonus great grand-children, Tucker, Hudson, Rayce, Sawyer, Kaylyn, and Wyatt.

Beaver was known for saying he had “worked his fingerprints off,” and anyone who knew him believed it. He worked so hard that his overalls were worn down to threads and the soles of his shoes had been glued back on more than once. He could be found driving a tractor from sunup to sundown — even well into his 90s — unwilling to slow down and always tending to the land he loved. He was an avid hunter, proudly bringing home whatever he harvested for his beloved Marie to butcher, continuing a partnership built on hard work and shared purpose.

He also enjoyed playing poker several nights a week with dozens of lifelong friends. Even if the games carried on well past midnight, Beaver would still be back on the farm before 7 a.m. to “make rounds,” checking the fields as if sleep were optional and responsibility was not.

Just before he passed, Beaver squinted his eyes harder than he had ever squinted — as if adjusting to a light brighter than any Arkansas sunrise he had ever watched over his fields. We believe he was seeing the gates of Heaven open and preparing for one final takeoff. After earning his first set of flight wings in service to his country, he gained his final and most important set — the most permanent and most brilliant — as he took his flight home to Heaven.

His 95 years were marked by grit, devotion, and unwavering faith. His legacy lives on in the land he farmed, the family he raised, and the generations who will forever carry his name and his stories forward.

Graveside services will be Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at Providence Cemetery at 1:00 PM under the direction of Phillips Funeral Home, with Pastor Aaron Neugebauer and Pastor Kim Bridges officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that donations be made to the Henry Wrinkles Foundation in Paragould, Arkansas.