William Gerald "Bill" Howell

1941 - 2026

Boise - William "Bill" Gerald Howell, 84, of Meridian, Idaho, entered eternal life with his Savior on January 6, 2026.

A viewing will be held January 16, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.at Alsip and Persons Funeral Chapel, 404 10th Ave. South, Nampa. Graveside service will be held on January 17, 2026, at Cloverdale Cemetery at 10:00 am located at 1200 N Cloverdale Rd, Boise, followed by a memorial service to honor and celebrate his life, at 11:30 am at CityHope Church located at 8650 W Fairview Ave. Boise.

Bill was born on June 21, 1941, in Redding, California, to Virgil and Velma Howell. His father was a carpenter working on Shasta Dam, and the family later moved to Meridian, Idaho, where Bill grew up. He was active in many school and church activities, including playing the oboe and saxophone in school and at Meridian Assembly of God Church. Bill attended Meridian schools and graduated from Meridian High School in the Class of 1959, where he was a State Tennis Champion during his senior year.

In 1961, Bill married the love of his life, Sharon Ellis, at Boise Gospel Tabernacle. The two met through their church youth group and began a lifelong partnership rooted in faith, family, and music. Shortly after marrying, they moved to Page, Arizona, where Bill followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as an ironworker on the Glen Canyon Dam. During their four years in Page, their first son, Chris, was born, followed sixteen months later by their second son, Randy.

After completion of the dam, the family returned to Boise, Idaho, in July 1964. Bill had learned the roofing trade from his father as a young man and began subcontracting roofing jobs through Franklin Building Supply. He later went to work at Franklin Building Supply, where he and owner John Steckman were the company's only two employees at the time. In August 1966, their daughter Desiree was born, completing the family.

In January 1967, Bill was hired as a firefighter at the Boise Fire Department. On November 12, 1969, he responded to a fire at the Oxford Hotel and rescued an elderly gentleman by carrying him down from the fifth floor to safety. While he enjoyed the work, he disliked the long waiting periods between calls and continued roofing on his days off. As his roofing business flourished, Bill made the decision in September 1970 to leave the fire department and operate his roofing business full time-a career he would continue for the remainder of his working life.

Bill built a highly successful roofing business throughout the Treasure Valley and became well known for his shake roofs. His company motto was "Shakes a Specialty." During the 1970s, he hauled truckloads of shakes from the mill in Stites, Idaho, using his two-ton truck. One of his notable projects was roofing the shake mansard on the Stagecoach Inn Restaurant in Garden City in the late 1960s-a roof that still stands today.

Bill and Sharon shared a deep love of gospel music. From 1970 to 1984, they were members of a gospel singing group known as The Waymark Singers. Bill played bass guitar and sang bass, while Sharon played piano and sang alto. The group ministered through music in churches throughout the Treasure Valley.

In 1984, Bill and Sharon moved from Boise to Phoenix, Arizona, where Bill continued roofing and enjoyed escaping the cold winters. Later, a roofing opportunity brought them to Napa, California, where Bill's brother Miche lived. Within a few years, Bill established another successful business and became a trusted favorite among local realtors for reliable roof inspections. He retired in 2013, and in 2016, Bill and Sharon returned to the Treasure Valley, where they cherished time with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Throughout his life, Bill enjoyed playing tennis and racquetball, owned a variety of cars, boats, and jet skis, and loved traveling-especially to Hawaii. He also enjoyed camping and spending time at the cabin and lake house.

Bill is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sharon (Ellis) Howell; his children, Chris and April Howell of Boise, Idaho; Randy and Mardianne Howell of Nampa, Idaho; and Desiree and Greg Wessel of Meridian, Idaho; and his brother, Charlie Howell of Meridian, Idaho. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Aaron and Kortney Howell, Matthew Howell, Kaitlin and Matt Cooley, Tiffany Wessel, Taylor Wessel, Reese Howell, Mackayla Howell, and Parker Howell; and four great-grandchildren: Branson Howell, Reagan Howell, Lincoln Cooley, and Graham Cooley.

Bill will also be dearly missed by his many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Velma Howell; his brothers Richard "Dick" Howell, Tom Howell, and Miche Howell; father-in-law Charles Ellis; mother in-law Leota Ellis, sisters-in-law Norma Howell and Louise Johnson; brother-in-law Kenneth Ellis; niece Yvonne Cegnar; nephews Scott Johnson and Rick Johnson and his great nephews Travis Johnson and Brian Dahlin.

In Lieu of flowers please make a donation to CityHope Church, 8650 W Fairview Ave. Boise, ID 83704. Cityhopeboise.com