Jerry Belden Howard

Jerry Howard, 71, passed away peacefully on October 31st, after a courageous and hard-fought battle with cancer in Longmont, CO. He was born in September of 1953 in Denver, CO. He is survived by his Wife Jewel, Children Tracy Goad (Todd), Angie Flynn (Ryan), and JP Howard (Leslie), and 9 Grandchildren.

Jerry moved to Santa Clara, CA as a young boy where he grew up and attended Wilcox High School. He met his soon to be wife, Jewel, in junior high school but didn’t start dating until Junior year in Highschool. The were Married in March of 1972. Jerry always had an entrepreneurial spirit and incredible work ethic. He was a gifted glassblower in the late 70’s early 80’s, if you’ve been to Estes Park, you’ve seen a couple of his hummingbirds. He started his high-tech career in the Silicon Valley at Triple AAA. When Jerry saw an opportunity he jumped on it, this led him to take his family to New Jersey to run a high-tech manufacturing plant. New Jersey never quite felt like home, so he packed up his family and moved them to Colorado closer to his place of birth and extended family. He raised his three children on a small farm outside of Hygiene, CO. He loved farm life, he had horses, pigs, chickens, and cows. He wanted his kids to learn the value of a hard day’s work on the little farm. This also drew him to the rodeo where he competed in the Saddle Bronc event touring the Old Timers Rodeo circuit. When he retired from the circuit, he set up a mechanical bull on his property and coached the CU Rodeo team practices every weekend. Jerry was a true Cowboy at heart.

As Jerry’s career grew, he learned much from his job at Granville-Phillips and studied under President and owner, Daniel Granville Bills. He was sent to Japan to study lean manufacturing under Shigeo Shingo. He was always ahead of his time and constantly learning, When Grandville-Philips was sold, he decided to start his own company, InstruTech Inc., which was founded in 2002. He operated a highly successful company and eventually drew the eye of the competition who purchased InstruTech in 2016. He retired three years later.

Jerry was also an avid classic car guy. He grew up fixing up old cars and modifying vehicles with his buddies in CA. He passed down his knowledge to his son by building his first vehicle together, a cherry red 1955 Ford F100 4x4, from the ground up. He inspired his son and grandsons and supervised them and their vintage projects. Lending his hands, spirit, and passion to more than 13 classic cars and trucks. Ranging from his chopped 1926 Ford model T-coupe to his grandson's 1990 Ford Bronco. He helped all his kids and grandkids keep their vehicles running and eventually built his dream garage. A beautiful showroom for his 41’ Willys and in the back, a full mechanics shop that included a lift. Once retired, he spent most of his time in his garage helping anyone who needed/wanted a helping hand.

Jerry was a strong and resilient man who had a heart of gold. He would give you the shirt off his back. He was our family rock and the first to jump in and help. He was a hard worker and successful entrepreneur. He promised Jewel a better life and just in “Jerry style” he exceeded all our expectations. He wanted a large family, and he got it. He loved attending the grandkids sport events, choir concerts, and graduations from Highschool and College. He was so proud of what he and Jewel created on the dreams of two kids from San Jose, CA.