Memorials › LTC Pat Neff Howard

LTC Pat Neff Howard

1 Jun 1920 – 22 Aug 2007

Birth	1 Jun 1920
Death	22 Aug 2007
Cemetery	Cook-Walden Memorial Hill Cemetery Austin , Travis County , Texas , USA
Added by	Rajordan on 17 Mar 2009
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21268957

Bio

Lt. Col. Pat Howard USAF (Ret) passed away on Wednesday, August 22, 2007. A young Pat Howard out of Stanton, Texas, looked to the sky and not the earth; he chose to enlist in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He made a career of flying for the USAF for 28 years instead of becoming a cotton farmer. He responded to the call of duty and became a pilot, command pilot, instructor pilot, and squadron commander. He learned how to lead, how to survive and how to command. Pat Howard married Elizabeth Rayford, also of Stanton, at the age of eighteen and became a father a year later. During his tour in England in the middle of WWII in 1943, he was an aircraft commander of a B17 named the "Jerry Boy" after his son. He completed the requisite number of missions and brought his crew and his plane home safely every time. After the war Pat Howard remained in the Air Force. He flew one of the first B47's into service and a few years later he trained in the new B52 and flew one of the first ones into active service. He was part of the new Strategic Air Command and believed in the call to duty to safeguard the United States. For several years he moved his young family from base to base. He was now the father of another son born in 1945 and a daughter born in 1952. His children grew up listening to the sound of aircraft taking off and knowing the sound of freedom. His family understood that every time he took off during the Cold War it could mean that war was imminent. Before the Vietnam conflict Pat Howard became a forward air controller; he learned how to coordinate aerial attacks originating from several commands to the greatest effect. He was one of the early airborne controllers in Vietnam in 1966-67 operating out of Thailand. He completed his tour of duty and returned home in 1967. He retired in June of 1970 as a Lieutenant Colonel with full honors. After a retirement so adjourn in Mexico, Pat Howard enrolled as a student at the University of Texas in Austin. He wanted to complete the course of study he had started in 1938 at Texas Tech. In 1973 he graduated from UT with a Bachelor of Science in Business and finance. During his time at UT, Pat Howard became a diehard Longhorn fan; he loved the football and basketball teams. He was the first member of his family to earn a college degree. His interest in business resulted in earning his realtor, then broker, licenses. He was very proud of becoming a real estate broker. After the death of his first wife, Elizabeth, in 1977, Pat married Gloria Barron. They worked together in the real estate market and also were active in the First Baptist Church in Georgetown. Pat had been a Baptist Deacon for many years. Gloria died in 1994. In 1996 Pat married Eileen Kaiser, of Taylor, in a romantic wedding on board a cruise ship. He and Eileen happily traveled and visited family around the country. Together they have six children, sons, Jerry Howard and wife Marty of San Jose, CA, Larry Howard of Kingman, AZ; step-son, Greg Kaiser of Taylor, TX; daughter, Pat Mickelson and husband Mike of Kingman, AZ; step-daughters, Gail Pierce and husband Ron of Citrus Hts., CA, Ginger Schneider and husband Rex of Taylor, TX; eight grandchildren, Patrick and Casey Howard, Terese Howard Knapp, Joshua Mickelson, Christian Mickelson Peck, Autumn and Spencer Schneider and Nicole Pierce Hill; and one great-grandson, Joseph Sterling Neal Knapp. In remembering Pat Howard, the words commitment, duty and service come to mind. He believed in the commitment of marriage, he taught the importance of duty to God and Country and he personified service. Honoring obligations and being a responsible, contributing member of society was always important to him. He was a loving grandfather to his grandchildren and sought to establish a legacy based on duty and service. Throughout the 87 years of his life he was a patriot/airman, a husband, father, grandfather and businessman; he reveled in those roles. He was always a gentleman, sweet and jovial to those who mattered. Visitation will be at Cook- Walden/Capital Parks Funeral Home in Pflugerville, Texas on Sunday evening from 6:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. Services will be held on Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. at Cook-Walden/Capital Parks Memorial Chapel and interment will follow at Cook- Walden/Capital Parks Cemetery beside his beloved first wife, Elizabeth Rayford Howard. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation.. http://www.mem.com. [Published in the Austin American-Statesman on 8/26/2007.]

Inscription

PAT NEFF HOWARD LT COL US AIR FORCE JUN 1 1920 - AUG 22 2007 HUSBAND FATHER QUIET HERO --- ELIZABETH L. HOWARD BELOVED WIFE - DEVOTED MOTHER TRUE FRIEND DEC. 25, 1919 † JUNE 10, 1979

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