Howard James Bedell

Howard was born on July 13, 1938, in Youngstown, Ohio, to Paul Lyons Bedell and Mazie Price Bedell. His family owned a trucking business and a popular barbeque restaurant during his early childhood. The family later relocated to Muncie, Indiana, where Howard came of age. He graduated from Muncie Burris High School, the school made famous in the movie "Hoosiers," where he excelled in mathematics and was a star on the swim team.

Howard proudly served 20 years in the United States Air Force, including two tours in Vietnam. Following his honorable discharge, he joined the Civil Service, working as a computer programmer for the U.S. government in Montgomery, Alabama. During those years, he also returned to college and earned a degree in Computer Science from Troy State University. Following fifteen years of civil service, he retired to Florida in 1990 where he greatly enjoyed his boat, being out on the Gulf, and his labrador retriever, Grizzly.

In 1956, Howard married Virginia Coop (Coop-Ullman) in Muncie, Indiana. Together they raised five children: Deborah Gill Graves (husband Howard Graves), of Indianapolis, IN; Sheryl Bedell Abrams (husband Brian Abrams), of Spicewood, TX; Michelle Bedell Grossnickle (husband Paul Grossnickle), of Valparaiso, IN; Jeffrey Howard Bedell (wife Mitzi Stacha Bedell), of Cedar Park, TX; and Gregory James Bedell, of Houston, TX. A second marriage later gave Howard two more sons: Dale Lewis Bedell (deceased 2011) and Timothy Wayne Bedell (wife Desiree).

During Howard's Air Force years, the family lived in many states across the U.S. and the island of Guam. In 2012, he moved back to Texas to be closer to his children and grandchildren.

Howard is preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Mazie Bedell; his siblings, Paul Frank Bedell, Sr. and Maryann Bedell Raffety; and his son, Dale Lewis Bedell. He is survived by his children and their spouses listed above, 16 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services are being handled by Weed-Corley-Fish in Lakeway, Texas. A full military funeral will take place on August 14, 2026 at 10:30 am at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.