Howard Eugene Howell

Howard Eugene "Hugie" Howell passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 28th, 2025, at his home in Lakeside, CA. He was 84 years old. Born on December 24, 1940, in San Diego, CA, Howard was the second son of James E. Howell and Mary Nadvornick. Raised in San Diego's Frontier Housing alongside his older brother Bill and his younger brother Dwain, Howard spent his childhood raising pigeons, "pioneering" the way for the world's first remote control television, and racing go-karts down Juan Hill.

At the age of 18, Howard enlisted in the US Marine Corps with his best friend Tom Frederick. After traveling the world serving his country, he returned to his hometown, where shortly after he would meet the love of his life: Marcella "Marcy" Gonzales. They were married in Las Vegas in October of 1962, a little over a year after they first met. They spent 62 long, wonderful years together. At the time of his passing, they were living with their daughter Tiffany, son-in-law Darrell, and grandchildren Wyatt and Shelby.

After becoming a father, Howard tried his hand at becoming a plumber, being a carpet cleaner for his brother Dwain's business, and working machine maintenance for one of San Diego's premier recycling companies. Ultimately, he landed on working for General Dynamics, where he worked for 13 years. After being laid off, he took a class perfecting his passion for woodworking, becoming a master of crafting cabinets, clocks, and birdhouses. Using these newfound craftsmanship skills, he started Woodman Cabinets with his son-in-law Darrell, a venture which lasted until 2005.

Howard and Marcy moved from San Diego, CA, to Aumsville, OR, in 1997 following their daughter's family to ensure that they would never be too far from their loved ones. They purchased 5.5 acres of land across the street from his brother Bill, where the two of them continued their shared passion for woodworking and drinking instant coffee with donuts. Years later in 2015, they once again followed their daughter's family after they relocated back to San Diego.

Other than woodworking, Howard loved the accordion, playing bass guitar in his brother's band, regularly attending the annual Oktoberfest and busting out the Chicken Dance, geocaching, and being a constant source of entertainment and laughs for his grandchildren.

Howard was preceded in death by his parents, his brother William "Bill" Howell, and his brother Harold "Dwain" Howell. He leaves behind his wife Marcella "Marcy" Howell, his daughter Tiffany Howell-Garza, his grandson Wyatt Garza, his granddaughter Shelby Garza, and his nephew Jeffery Howell (whom he thought of as a son).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to alzsd.org in Howard's memory to help combat and hopefully discover a cure for a disease he had no way of fighting against himself.