In February, 2019, at the age of 96, I decided to prepare my own obituary.
After all, it is my story and I want to tell it. I was born on a small farm in southeastern Ohio in February, 1923. I milked my first cow at the age of five and shot my first rabbit at eleven. I attended a one-room school along with eleven other students through the eighth grade and then a small rural high school. Following graduation from high school in 1939, I enrolled in Ohio State University at the age of 16. I graduated from OSU in 1943, just in time to be drafted into the army and was sent to language school at Yale University where I became an interpreter for the Italian prisoners of war captured in Africa.
In 1945, I entered Officer’s Candidate School in preparation for an assignment in the Pacific Theatre. My ship was on the way to the Philippines when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I returned to civilian life in 1946 and was eventually employed by Procter and Gamble. I met and married Mary Burman in 1949. This union produced three lovely children; Gregg, Steve, and Peggy, and later, a grandson, Greggy.
After thirty seven years with Procter and Gamble, including two years in Italy in the International Division, I retired in 1986 and moved to Jonathan’s Landing in Florida. Tragedy struck in 1996 when Mary passed after a long illness.The next four years were quite difficult as I adjusted to living alone. In 1999, I met Marie Kelley, a widow in Jonathan’s Landing. We were married in June, 2000. Marie brought sunshine and joy back into my life. In addition, Marie had four children; Maura, Christopher, Meghan, and Sean. Also, along the way, seven grandchildren. A ready made family that provided love and enjoyment. As you can see, it has been a good ride for me. In closing, I think Omar Khayyam said it best in the Rubiayat, “The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on; nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all your tears wash out a word of it."
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.aycockfuneralhomejupiter.com for the Howard family.
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