More detail on this person: Lieutenant Colonel
Lonnie T. Howard US Army (Ret.) - Savannah -
Lieutenant Colonel Lonnie Taylor Howard (known as
Howie), died at Hospice House on December 29,
2006 following a long illness. Born in Fort Mill,
SC in 1931 to Lonnie A. and Emma Lee Howard, he
grew up there and then attended Clemson
University. Graduating in 1953 with a degree in
Textile Chemistry, he was commissioned as a
Chemical Officer and entered active duty with the
United States Army. Following a branch transfer to
the Infantry, he attended flight school becoming
an Army aviator qualified in both fixed wing and
rotary wing aircraft. Lonnie served two tours of
duty in combat in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot,
and eventually became a Master Aviator. In
addition to his combat tours he also served for
eight years in Germany and in a variety of
command and staff positions during his almost
twenty-five year career. Following his retirement
from the US Army in 1978, he moved to Savannah
where he served as the Director of Transportation
for the Chatham Association for Retarded Citizens
workshop, followed by a position as the Senior
Army Instructor teaching Junior ROTC at Groves
High School in Garden City, Georgia. An avid
shooter, he was also a rifle and pistol coach at
the school and did part-time work as a gunsmith in
a local gun shop. In his spare time Lonnie
completed a Master's degree in Business from
Savannah State College in 1985. Following his
second retirement, from the Chatham-Savannah
Board of Education, he filled his time as a
driving school instructor until his illness
prevented him from continuing to serve the
community. He is survived by his wife of fifty-one
years, Pat and seven of his eight children;
Catherine Franch and her husband Bill of Raleigh,
NC; Colonel John Howard (US Army) and his wife
Amy of Fort Carson, CO; Thomas Howard and his
wife Mary of Savannah; James Howard of Savannah;
Lieutenant Colonel Lonnie (Rick) Howard (US Army
Ret.) of Marietta, GA; Nancy Howard of Savannah;
and Mary Tallman and her husband Matthew of
Marietta, GA. He is affectionately known as Howie
to his seventeen grandchildren, one
great-grandchild, and all their friends. Also
surviving are his brother Bobby Howard and his
wife Pat of North Augusta, SC, and his sister,
Emma Jean Howard of Loganville, GA. A Memorial
Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday,
January 2, 20007 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic
Church, with The Reverend Jeremiah J. McCarthy
officiating. Honorary Pallbearers will be John
Howard, Thomas Howard, Jim Howard, Rick
Howard, Bill Franch, and Matthew Tallman.
Interment, with full military honors, will follow
on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at the Marietta National
Cemetery in Marietta, GA. Memorial contributions
may be made to the Kicklighter Resource Center,
formerly the Chatham Association for Retarded
Citizens ( www.kicklightercenter.org);
International Foundation for Functional
Gastrointestinal Disorders; Army Emergency Relief;
the Georgia Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation; or the charity of your
choice. Please sign our on-line guest book at
www.foxandweeks.com . Savannah Morning News
December 31, 2006 Please sign our Obituary Guest
Book at www.savannahnow.com This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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03/10/2024
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