- Date Of Birth: December 27, 1930
- Date Of Death: August 31, 2018
- State: Illinois
Wendell Dale Howard, 87, of Virginia, died Friday, August 31, 2018, at Eastside Nursing Home in Pittsfield, surrounded by his family.
He was born Dec. 27, 1930, in Jacksonville, the son of George and Ruth Stromquist Howard.
He is survived by four children, Debbie (husband, Fred) Ore of Beardstown, Dan Howard (wife, Lyn) of Jacksonville, Linda (deceased husband, Jim) Meyer of Seattle, WA, and Janet (husband, Glenn) Swafford of Caddo Mills, TX; thirty-two grandchildren; thirty-three great grandchildren; brother, Jim (wife, Donna) Howard; sister, Rosalie (husband, Dick) Patton; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Beth; one daughter, Karen Brown; one granddaughter, Jennifer; and one brother, Art (surviving wife, Shirley) Howard.
Mr. Howard was a 1948 graduate of Brown County High School, where he loved to play basketball. Shortly after graduating, he joined the Air Force ,where he served as a mechanic for four years. While serving at the David-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, AZ, he met and then married the beautiful Beth Boyce on March 31, 1952.
After leaving the Air Force, Wendell and Beth returned to Mt. Sterling, IL where they began their life together, then moving to Beardstown, and finally Virginia. He worked for CIPS, now Ameren, for 40 years and was honored upon his retirement in 1992 for years of loyal service, dependability, and hard work. Wendell was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He taught his children to work hard and to give to others. He loved his family, gardening, hunting, fishing, game shows, and sports, especially the St. Louis Cardinals.
