He was born on September 16, 1942, in Harrisonburg and was the son of the late Alfred L. Howard, Sr. and Mary C. Lewis.
Douglas graduated from Lucy Simms School in 1961. He was employed by Metro Pants until 1980, then worked for Zane Showker at HFP (now Sysco). He then went to work for Merck and Company, Inc. as a machine operator in the Elkton and Danville, Pennsylvania plants, before retiring in 2002.
“Night Train” as he was commonly known in the community, never met a stranger, he loved to spend time with his friends.
He is survived by a daughter, Leilani Ritchie and husband, Josh Moyers of Broadway; two grandsons, Caiden and Cam; a step-granddaughter, Katie; three sisters, Dorothy Dickerson, Barbara Lewis and Pamela Howard; one brother, Alfred L. Howard, Jr.; a host of nieces and nephews; and a special cousin, Betty Mae Curry and husband, Howard.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandmother, Rachael Lewis and brothers, Gregory Lewis, Harry Wayne Lewis and Gerald Howard.
A Celebration of Life service will be held 11 am, Saturday, January 11, 2025, at Lindsey Funeral Home in Harrisonburg.
Honoring his wishes he will be cremated and interred at Newtown Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad, P. O. Box 1477, Harrisonburg, VA 22803 or online at www.harrisonburgrescue.org/donate.
Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.lindseyfuneralhomes.com.
