Funeral services celebrating the life of our father, Harold J. Howard, 94, will be held at the Springfield Friends Cemetery in Wilmington, Ohio at a later date. He lived a life in a manner that we all should; inquisitive, interested, involved, positive, loving, athletic – a full and good life.

Harold died at the Selma Markowitz Care Center of Hospice of Central Ohio on Wednesday, May 30, 2018. He was born in Wilmington, Ohio on December 26, 1923, the only son of the late Raymond and Nina (Bevan) Howard. When he was a toddler, the family moved to London, Ohio where he was a newspaperman's son and apple of his mother's eye.

Early life on Columbia Avenue was a bit of everything: family and farms on both sides of his family, small town fun with school, church, sports, swimming, dancing, music, passing papers, scouts (Eagle distinction) and all kinds of family travel.

His father owned and operated the Madison Press, started the magazine "Horseshoe World" in the early 20's and became president of the U.S. National Newspaper Association during WWII, allowing Harold the opportunity to travel the country doing some pretty neat things. Scout Jamboree's, trips across Rhode Island, hanging at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City during a Presidential election, and Worlds Fairs are just to name a few.

During high school, Howard excelled in athletics, but especially loved the game of football. Due to a broken leg his Senior year, his hopes of a college scholarship in football were lost. He then decided to be a walk-on player at The Ohio State University and in 1942 became part of the first National Championship Team in school history under the infamous coach Paul Brown. He finished his four-year degree at Penn State where he was also a member of the boxing team.

Howard enlisted with the United States Marine Corps as an officer and was stationed in China. Upon his return, he began teaching at Midway High School where he coached many of the sport teams and was also the athletic director. It was during this time that Howard met his future wife, Ramona Gamwell.

Howard was called back into military service shortly thereafter and the two were wed in San Clemente, California on June 3, 1951. Four short weeks later he was sent overseas on the Henrico. Together, they welcomed their first child, Jeffrey, as he was born at Camp Pendleton, California on September 29, 1953.

On his return from duty, now a Major, Harold brought his family back to Ohio where he became a teacher and coach at New Albany high School. Their second son, Christopher, was born on Easter Day in 1955.

Hebron High School was the next stop of his career, and with that the birth of another child, Beth, in October of 1959. He joined the ranks at Lakewood High School as head football coach and athletic director, and also welcomed his daughter, Sheri, in December of 1962.

Howard decided to continue his schooling during his summers and received his Masters Degree from The Ohio State University and with it an offer to become the first principal/ athletic director at Licking Valley High School. With his family he moved to Newark during the summer of 1965, and soon after their last child, Matthew, was born in February of 1966.

In his spare time, Howard fished most every stream and lake in the Central Ohio area and love growing plants and gardening, a trait instilled in him by his mother who won many blue ribbons at county and state fairs.

In 2001, he and his wife, Ramona, celebrated 50 years of marriage, which continued until her death on July 21, 2009.

Throughout the years he and Ramona loved to frequent auction and garage sales, collecting a little of everything along the way. During the same time, Howard, a history major/ buff, loved finding out about family genealogy and even documented many of his finds. The family joke was that he knew more about some of the deceased family than he did the living ones.

Harold leaves behind his five children and their spouses; his cat, "Baby"; 20 grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren, who all have fond memories and stories to share. Along with a few collections to divide amongst themselves for the future generations. In addition to his wife, Howard was preceded in death by two grandchildren, Shayne Starn and Jennifer Starn Shira.

From what was and is called "The Greatest Generation", we may not have heard him say he loved us very often, but through his actions he showed he did and certainly all of us him. It's also agreed we couldn't have had better parents to be born to, feel loved by, and learned from during each stage of our lives.

We'd like to thank everyone who was part of his life, his friends, former students and teachers, and more recently his caregivers.

Memorials in Howard's name can be made to the Foundation for Hospice of Central Ohio, PO Box 430, Newark, Ohio 43058.

REED-EGAN FUNERAL HOME, 141 Green Wave Drive, Newark is assisting the family with arrangements. To share your memory of Harold or leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.reedegan.com.