Howard C. Oakes

Beloved Husband, Father,

Brother & Uncle

Age 95

Husband of Vera for 60 years, Father of late daughter, Nancy and son, Curt of Bemidji. Howard’s Christian faith was foremost in his life and he continued to speak to our Lord on a daily basis all of his life. He was an Eagle Scout and served in an Army M.A.S.H. unit in the South Pacific for 4 ½ years during World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Minnesota and especially enjoyed his creative writing classes. He was a skilled letter writer and wrote hundreds of long, detailed letters to many family members and friends over the years. Howard carried mail for the Postal Service from 1947 to 1980 and he lived a very active life, including during his retirement years. He could often be seen walking on St. Paul’s East Side and he walked the equivalent of three times around the circumference of the earth. Howard was also an active reader and extremely physically fit and he enjoyed bass and trout fishing, hunting, gardening, tree planting, bird watching and beekeeping. He was very much in touch with his environment and loved the outdoors. Vera and Howard loved to travel throughout North America, Hawaii several times, and Europe. Howard took great pride in Vera, the love of his life, his children, and his extended family. He was preceded in death by Vera & Nancy and his brothers, Ken and Sid. Visitation at Wulff Funeral Home, 1485 White Bear Avenue, St. Paul, Monday, December 3 from 4-7pm. Funeral Service at Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church, 1275 E. Magnolia Avenue, St. Paul, Tuesday, December 4 at 11am with visitation one hour prior. Interment Fort Snelling National Cemetery.