John Howard Games entered his heavenly home on July 2, 2019. Howard was born in Dillon, MT on August 25, 1921 to George and Minnie (Sebree) Games. Minnie moved Howard and his sister, Alice, back to the Sebree farm near Notus, ID when her marriage ended, and Howard grew up surrounded by his extended family. He loved living in the country and working on the threshing crews with his beloved team of horses, Belle and Brownie. When Howard was about 6 years old, his mother took him to Boise where he met Charles Lindbergh. A life-long love of flying was born. His mother married William (Bill) Siebenberg around this time and Howard gained a loving, supportive “Pop.”
Howard earned his pilot’s license while a student at College of Idaho. Right after Pearl Harbor he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He flew a B-26 bomber, flying over 60 missions, including one on D-Day. A fellow pilot noticed the stress Howard was experiencing due to the high number of missions and invited him to a Bible study. Howard heard the Gospel message for the first time and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. His faith guided and sustained him throughout the rest of his life.
Howard met his future wife, Ivy, while on R & R in Spokane, WA. They met in November of 1944 and were married May 24, 1945. After his honorable discharge from the service, Howard graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in engineering. After graduation, he worked for the Army Corps of Engineers. His work meant the family lived in Coulee Dam and Walla Walla before settling in Seattle. Here Howard continued with the Army Corps of Engineers and then moved to Department of Health, Education and Welfare, working as a project engineer. Daughter Kathy was born in 1950 and Claudia in 1953. The family attended Gatewood Baptist Church in West Seattle. Howard served as a deacon, Sunday School teacher, and leader of the high school youth group. During the 1970’s and 1980’s Howard also served on the Trustee Board of Western Baptist College, now Corban University. In 1999, Howard and Ivy moved to Salem to be closer to family. They became members of Salem First Baptist. With its close proximity Howard regularly volunteered at Corban, focusing on helping with the museum and occasionally helping build sets for several plays.
Howard was preceded in death by his wife, Ivy Games, his parents, Minnie and William Siebenberg, and his sister, Alice Marmion. He is survived by his daughters Kathy (Brian) Spurgeon of Omaha, NE, and Claudia (Jim) Green of Salem, granddaughters Kathryn Green of Salem and Kimberly (Evan Calabrese) Green of San Francisco, as well as several nieces and nephews.
A service honoring Howard’s life will be held on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 2:00 pm in the Community Life Center of First Baptist Salem, 395 Marion Street NE. Arrangements with Howell, Edwards Funeral Home.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the wonderful people of Sweet Bye and Bye Care Home and Willamette Valley Hospice for their loving care of Howard during his last month on earth.
