Edward John Howard

On Saturday April 23rd, Edward John Howard was the age of 67 when he entered into the gates of Heaven.

He was predeceased by his parents Helen Estelle and Edward Lee Howard and sister Barbara Alascio (Howard).  He is survived by the mother of his children Teresa Howard, sons Marques Greene, Edward Howard Jr., John Hill Howard, Kwame Howard, daughter Teresa Loretta Baker and sister Elizabeth Wise.

Ed bravely served in the Vietnam War for the U.S. Army, served as Military Police, Army recruiter and retired from the military with the rank of, E-6: Staff Sergeant.  The second part of his life involved leading a different type of platoon. It was here where he truly excelled in the highest rank ever bestowed to him: Fatherhood.  In a way his experience in the army prepared him for the battlefield of parenthood.  He bravely fought off diaper bombs, tears, boo-boos, the boogey man, and dragons.  There was not a moment he was not too proud to wave the white flag.  He freely sacrificed his heart and won.

There was nothing in this world Ed loved more than loving his children.  A perfect day for him was when he heard from all his kids in one day.  There were no boundaries to what Ed would do to be close to his family, including uprooting an established life in Baltimore and making house in Texas and finally Oklahoma.

He leaves behind the legacy of a devoted father and memories of snowball fights, trips to the amusement park, family vacations, a poorly made Super Bowl bet that resulted in pink hair, Band-Aids over scraped knees, big hugs, and his daily routine of family check in calls.  Fatherhood was a responsibility he chose to take on head first, and it became his biggest accomplishment.