Gary Dean Howard

Gary was born on December 27, 1949, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to William and Barbara Howard. He graduated from North High School and Lakewood College. Throughout his life, Gary pursued a wide range of interests and adventures. In his younger years, Gary played in the Drum and Bugle Corps, and he was very active in Scouts. Gary and his brother Jeff created and led a Boy Scout troop for inner city boys from 1972 to 1975. Through weekly troop meetings and summer and winter camping trips, Gary and Jeff were deeply impressed by the young men they worked with in this program.

Later he started and ran a Cross-Country Ski Center, worked helping his brother Jeff set up and open a bike shop, and worked on a sailboat out of Florida. He loved SCUBA diving, sailing and traveling. His passion for sailing carried into his later years. After moving to South Carolina, he worked in real estate and built a life filled with both hard work and meaningful friendships. It was here that he met the love of his life, Linda. After leaving real estate, he began a career in sales with a wood products industry company. He enjoyed helping his customers with identifying needs and providing the products that their business would benefit from.

Throughout his life he always enjoyed outdoor recreation including hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, biking, running, swimming, whitewater rafting, canoeing, and simply sharing nature with friends and family.

He also had a lifelong passion for dogs—he never met a dog that he didn’t love, and it seemed every dog loved him in return.

Lovingly known as Mr. Fix It, he was always ready to help anyone with any project for their house, car, yard, or anything else. So many times, people would ask “Is he an engineer?” He genuinely enjoyed problem solving and helping others.

Gary will be remembered as a kind, generous man with an easy smile, endless curiosity, and an amazing knack for bringing joy to those around him. He was dearly loved by all who knew him.

Gary is survived by his devoted wife of 26 years, Linda A. (Castore) Howard; older brother Jeff Howard (Marilyn) of Blaine, MN; younger sister Beverly Sterry (David) of Mill Valley, CA; and many nieces and nephews who adored him, including Deborah Bradee Camasta, Ted Howard, Hans Howard, Nic Howard, and Adam Sterry; as well as great-nephews and niece Zach, Lance, and Violet.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Ted Howard of Stanley, ID.

A Celebration of Gary’s Life will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 1:00 PM at Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, 7600 Woodrow St, Irmo, SC 29063, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) or to Leeza’s Care Connection (SC) (leezascareconnection.org)