James Gibson Howard

James Gibson Howard, 89, passed away peacefully on October 4, 2024. Mr. Howard, known to his friends and associates as Jim, had been a resident at Friends Homes in Greensboro, NC, since January 2020. James was born in Patterson, Georgia, on July 27, 1935. He grew up on a farm and served in the Army under the G.I. Bill. Later, he attended Georgia Tech and Georgia Teacher’s College (now known as Georgia Southern), and graduated in 1961 with a B.S. in Education. Early in his career, James became an employee at Western Electric and eventually rose to the position of Labor Relations Specialist at AT&T, which he maintained until his retirement in 1993. In addition to his home state of Georgia, James lived many years in North Carolina and a few years in New Jersey.

James was an enthusiastic traveler. He and his late wife, Carol, traversed the country from coast to coast, eventually visiting all fifty states. They also explored countless destinations in six continents around the world, including London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Beijing, Hong Kong, the Outback, the Andes, the Alps, Kenya, the Serengeti, Morocco, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Danube, Istanbul, the Caribbean, Scandinavia, the Hermitage, and the Great Pyramids, just to name a few. In his early years, James enjoyed fishing, music, playing bridge, vegetable gardening, and visiting with friends. James also enjoyed college football and remained a lifelong fan. We will miss spending Saturday afternoons with him watching a game.

James is survived by his two sons, Phillip Howard and Dwight Howard (Requel), his sister Janice Pittman (Andy), sister Doris Rabbit (Darryl), stepdaughters Sharon Camras (Tom Lally), Polly Purgason (Christy), Tracy Moore (John), grandchildren Benji Camras, Allison Michaelis (Tim), Adrienne Wyssbrod (Austin), Efrain Howard, Luke and Jenna Moore, and great-grandchild Brooks Wyssbrod. He is preceded in death by his wife Carol Howard, former wife Barbara Wicker, his parents Fred Howard and Viola Crump (née Manning), stepfather Olin Crump, brother-in-law Tad Dillon and his wife Marti.

A special acknowledgement of gratitude goes out to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Friends Homes for the care and assistance they provided to James in his final years; their efforts were and are greatly appreciated.

A memorial service will be held in the auditorium at Friends Homes West, 6100 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro, NC on October 25, 2024 at 10:00am. All are welcome to attend. A private inurnment ceremony for James and his late wife Carol will be held for family members at Westminster Gardens Cemetery, 3601 Whitehurst Rd., Greensboro NC at 12:30pm, also on October 25th.

Memorial contributions in James' memory may be made to AuthoraCare Collective Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro.