Robert M. Howard

Robert Maxwell Howard 30 May 1924 – 29 Oct 2016 Born in Toledo, a small timber industry town on the Yaquina River in western Oregon, Bob Howard spent his early years with his parents and brother Barney moving around the Willamette Valley in Oregon. When Barney and his mother, Louise, moved to Portland for Barney to attend High School, Bob remained near Elk City for two years to finish grade school, living and working with his maternal grandfather and grandmother, Seymour and Elnora Scoville on their 140-acre farm. After moving to Portland after his grandfather’s death, Bob completed three years of high school before going to work as an acetylene burner at a shipyard in Portland, building Liberty Class ships in support of the WWII war effort. He married Esther Struxness in May of 1943, just before he went into the military. Bob joined the U. S. Army in June of 1943 and served with distinction in the European Theater between 14 Oct 1944 and 11 Mar 1945, when he was severely wounded in combat at the Battle of Remagen, Germany. Pfc. Howard was awarded the Bronze Star, Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), the Purple Heart, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Medal with three (3) bronze Battle Stars and a number of associated awards and decorations. He served valiantly in the Battle of the Bulge, the Cologne Plain Campaign and the Bridgehead at Remagen before being wounded. Bob spent over eight months in Army hospitals in the United Kingdom and the United States before being discharged for disability on 8 Sep 1945. Bob and Esther moved to Madison, Wisconsin where he attended the University of Wisconsin obtaining a BA in speech and communication. He, Esther and their son, Craig, moved to New Orleans, Louisiana where Bob began his career in Radio and Television. Bob had a morning TV show with Dick Van Dyke. Bob was the voice and straight man for Dick, who was in the very early stages of developing his comic genius. Bob and Esther had their second son, Brad, in New Orleans in 1953 before moving to New York City in 1956. Bob worked as a disc jockey at WNEW, host of the ‘Milkman’s Matinee,’ in the late 50s and mid 60s. In late 1959, Bob and Esther divorced and Bob married Amanda Gorman Pickerel. Amanda had three children from her previous marriage; a son, Jeff, and two daughters, Barbara and Amanda. Bob and Amanda had a son, Robert Maxwell Howard Jr. in December 1960, whom they lost to S.I.D.S. in May of 1961. A second son, Rodger Maxwell Howard, was born in July of 1962. Bob formally adopted Amanda’s three children in May of 1965. In the late 60s Bob did freelance work in radio and television advertising, doing both voice over and on camera work. In 1968 he became a newscaster for WINS Radio in New York, one of the first all news stations. He was at WINS from 1968 to 1983. Upon the birth of Barbara’s son, Chris, in 1983, Bob and Amanda moved to Los Angeles to be near Barbara. Bob worked as a radio newscaster for KFWB in Los Angeles from 1983 to 1992. Retiring in 1992, Bob volunteered as a reader recording books for the blind with his deep and distinctive radio broadcasters voice. Bob moved with Amanda to Lee’s Summit, MO while she attended ministerial school. Amanda became a Unity Minister in 1995 and assumed ministerial duties in Stuart, FL in 1995. Bob and Amanda lived in nearby Jensen Beach from 1995 to 2012. Amanda Gorman Howard, his wife of 52 years, died in 2012. Bob moved to Orlando, FL and lived with his daughter and her husband for the last four and a half years of his life. Bob struggled with increasing dementia for the last eight years of his life, but always maintained his gentle and kind personality, great sense of humor, and wit. He remained a wordsmith until near the end and always had his ‘announcers’ rich and impressive voice. Bob loved golf and played most of his life until the death of his wife, Amanda. At his best, he was a four handicap on some of America’s most challenging courses. He was still able to shoot his age when he was 85 years old. Bob never lost his love of the 24- hour news cycle, and Democratic politics. He completed and submitted his mail-in ballot for the 2016 election a few days before his hospitalization. Bob also enjoyed physical fitness, doing a light workout at the Downtown Orlando YMCA just a week before his death. Bob lost his older brother, Barney, on the 6th of October 2016. Robert Maxwell Howard passed away quietly, without pain or anxiety, with his beloved daughter, Barbara, at his side. He will be loved and missed by those who knew him, but will live on in laughter and memories of family, friends and fans. Bob is survived by his sons; Craig (Diane), Brad (Martha), Jeff (Leslie) and Rodger (Jackie). He is survived by his daughters; Barbara (Bob), and Amanda (Travis), as well as seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Robert M. Howard

May 30, 1924 - October 29, 2016