Wendell Reynolds Howard

Family, friends and relatives mourn the passing of Wendell Reynolds (Chub) Howard on Wednesday, April 15, 2015 after an extended illness. Chub has led a very exciting and interesting life during his 88 years. He was born in McConnell, Moore County, North Carolina to Flossie Purvis and Benjamin Franklin Howard on May 14, 1926. He was the youngest of nine children thus surviving his three sisters and five brothers.

Chub was an excellent student but always joked that his two worst years in school were those he spent under the teaching of his sisters. After graduating with top honors from Highfalls High School (Moore County), he attended Elon College, before joining and entering the US Merchant Marines and graduating from the Academy at Sheepshead Bay, New York. This was during World War II when so many US ships were being sunk by German submarines in the Atlantic. He served on a tanker and spent many months (as he described it) zigzagging to avoid being hit by enemy torpedoes during the many crossings of the Atlantic Ocean. Much of his tenure was spent along the coast of Africa with a major Port O’Call being Durban, South Africa. After a number of years of duty throughout the European and African theater, he returned to the US, and shipped out in the Pacific where he shuttled back and forth from San Francisco to Hawaii for another year. Chub’s mother was a “4 Star Mother”. In addition to Chub, she had one son serving in the Pacific arena and two in the European theater with Gen. Patton. After the war ended, he entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was there until he joined the Nabisco group and moved to New Bern.

Chub retired from National Biscuit Company after 35 years of serving Craven and Pamlico Counties. Many folks affectionately referred to him as “the cracker man” as he supplied many with crackers and cookies from a seemingly endless supply. He was an avid golfer of New Bern Golf and Country Club where he scored 5 hole in ones and shot his age at 87. Two of his greatest enjoyments in life were golfing and playing gin rummy. He never met a stranger, was a friend to many and always had a smile, a joke, and a kind word for those around him.

Chub was predeceased by his parents Benjamin Franklin and Flossie Purvis Howard; his five brothers and three sisters Virginia Howard Parrish, Maude Howard Phillips, Edith Howard Phillips, Benjamin Green Howard, Leon Franklin Howard, Lester Purvis Howard, Robert Lee Howard and Lennings McClellan Howard.

Chub is survived by his two daughters, Dr. Barbara J. Howard of Glenn Dale, Maryland and Sandra Howard Moser (Larry) of New Bern. He was devoted to his three grandchildren: Travis Brown Moser of New Bern, Shelley Moser West (Philip) of New Bern and Jennifer Rutledge DeBerardinis of Boston, Massachusetts. He, also, is survived by his companion of more than 40 years Joan Tucker Umstead. He leaves many wonderful nephews and nieces, their spouses and children. All of whom will cherish his memory and miss him dreadfully.

Funeral service will be 2:00 pm Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Trinity Methodist Church. Family will receive friends following the service and also at the homes of Sandy and Larry Moser, 307 Fairway Drive, New Bern, NC and Joan Umstead, 1104 Karen Drive, Apt. 5D, New Bern, NC. Graveside rites will be held later at Pleasant Hill Methodist Church in Robbins, NC.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018 or Craven County Home Health Hospice, 2818 Neuse Boulevard, New Bern, NC 28560.

The family would like to thank the following caretakers for their service and devotion during Chub’s illness: Lavonde Hardy, Natasha Pipkin, Delphine Scott, and Lori Ann Taylor.

Arrangements are by Cotten Funeral Home and Crematory.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.cottenfuneralhome.com.