Howard is survived by his boys, Joshua (22) and Zachary (20), who were the loves of his life. He is also survived by his brother, Larry (Stacey) and Max, Sydney and Hayes (nieces and nephews).
He was predeceased by his parents, Helen and Martin Kohn.
Howard was born on April 9th, 1955. He grew up and spent his entire life in Raleigh, where he forged lifelong friendships and developed a deep love for his community. Howard graduated from Ravenscroft in 1973 (a nod to his lifetime group The 73s) and was the school’s starting quarterback and point guard. He then graduated from Duke University in 1977, where he was a member of the JV basketball team and a proud Delta Tau Delta. He subsequently earned his Law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, MO in 1980, after attending third year classes at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as a visiting student.
Howard started Kohn Law and practiced real estate law in the Triangle until his death. He always strived to share his extensive knowledge with his clients and colleagues, assisting them with anything they brought to his desk. In 2001, Howard founded Kohn-Ell Association Management, a successful HOA management company which was sold in 2022. In his personal life Howard was an avid sports fan, to say the least. Besides tailgating and sitting in his 50-yard line seats at Wallace Wade in the fall with his boys, his favorite outings were his son’s lacrosse games where he was always the loudest, most engaged parent cheering from the stands. Nothing brought him greater joy than traveling up and down the East Coast and throughout the Raleigh area for Zachary’s childhood lacrosse games.
Howard will be remembered for his deep devotion to his boys, who made his life complete. Howard accumulated a wealth of friendships, many exceeding fifty years, which brought him much happiness.
A service to celebrate Howard’s life will be held in the chapel at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s St., Raleigh, on Friday, April 19th at 2:00 pm. Afterwards we will be gathering at Howard’s home to spend time with family and friends. The service will be livestreamed through brownwynneraleigh.com.
In Howard’s memory, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to CASA NC, 624 W. Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27603, a Triangle based organization that provides affordable housing for those most in need, which was very meaningful to him.
May his memory be a blessing.
DONATIONS
CASA NC624 West Jones St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27603
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