Margaret Gretchen Howard

Margaret Gretchen Howard passed away peacefully in her sleep on November 23, 2024 in Ft. Myers Florida. Gretchen, as she wanted to be called, was born Margaret Gretchen Hofacker on August 30th, 1934 in Portland, Oregon.. All her young life she played sports and liked to dance. Prior to going to college , she met her future husband, Robert J. Howard. They were married for 64 and 1/2 years. After college, she and Bob, got married and traveled the country as Bob changed jobs. While living in Oklahoma, they got the call that would lead Bob to a job in NY working for Pan American Airlines. They lived in Long Beach, NY, until they bought their first home in Freeport, NY in 1958 where they had two boys Robert F. Howard and Thomas A. Howard. Gretchen and Bob loved to travel together as a couple and a family all over the world. In 1972 they moved from Freeport to the small town of Great River NY, where Bob sooned joined the Great River Fire Department and Gretchen joined the women's Auxiliary. Gretchen continued playing tennis and volunteering at the local hospital . The family enjoyed boating, beaching and fishing together and went on many boat cruises to areas around Long island and Connecticut. They had two English bulldogs, Winston and Admiral that were a big part of their lives. Bob soon became Chief of the Fire Department , a path that would lead to both sons joining the Great River Fire Department as well. As their children grew older,Gretchen and Bob enjoyed watching their grandchildren Randall, Trenton and Matt. The kids brought much enjoyment to Gretchen as she began to teach them how to play tennis and other sports.

The amazing thing is that Gretchen and Bob discovered playing golf in their early 60s, even though Gretchen played tennis at a golf course for more than 25 years!! Bob and Gretchen began the search for their next home as they wanted to retire. Looking all over Florida for several years, they fell in love with The Landings in Ft Myers where they could enjoy both golf and tennis. Gretchen loved Nervous Nellies in FT Myers Beach and Grandma Dots on Sanibel. They played golf and tennis for the next 20 years together until Bob passed away in 2019. Gretchen continued to excel in both sports right up to her 90th birthday which she celebrated with her family in NY with both a party and a James Taylor Concert at Jones Beach Theatre. She was thrilled to spend time with her children and their wives and grandchildren and their wives and her first great grandson TW (Theodore Wade Howard).

Gretchen was quite active in the tennis and golf communities here in The Landings, where she made many friends. She served on the Ladies 9-Hole Golf League board as Treasurer for 10 years. The Sunday Scramble was one of her favorite events and she frequently won the closest-to-the-pin award on hole 11. She was a master at teeing off with her driver on every hole, long or short, and she brought treats to the Halloween scramble every year. During 9-hole play each Friday, hole 5 was affectionately known as “Point Gretchen”, as she would ensure all the ladies got the best advantage to hit over the water by moving up the markers to the front of the tee box. She will be truly loved and missed by all her friends at The Landings, her family and friends she had in all the many places she lived. She was a very tough woman who led her life on her own terms, right to the end.