Thomas William Howard, 72
Thomas William Howard, 72, passed away on Aug. 8, 2019 surrounded by family, at his cabin on Wild Horse Island after battling esophageal cancer. Tom was a loving father of seven children and devoted husband to his wife, Beatrice. Tom was born in Madison, S.D. on Sept. 22, 1946. He attended the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, where he was an outstanding athlete.
He participated in baseball, track and football and was named “athlete of the year” by the student newspaper. He was a successful academic and went on to play football at Wabash College, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1968.
After graduating, Tom became an officer in the Army National Guard. He was a newspaper publisher at Howard Publications in Twin Falls, Idaho (The Times-News) and Casper, Wyo. (The Star-Tribune). In 1985, Tom moved to Oceanside, Calif. to help grow the North-County Times. He then focused on diversifying and expanding the family company with investments in oil and gas exploration, medical product companies, a German energy management company and other startups. Howard Energy Company became the family mainstay after the newspapers were sold to Lee Enterprises in 2002.
Tom was a cowboy at heart and passionate about the outdoors. Deep-sea fishing and hunting were his favorite hobbies. He enjoyed hunting birds and big game in Africa, British Columbia, New Zealand and back home in Wyoming. One of his greatest joys was sharing these experiences with his good friends, hunting buddies and children.
Tom enjoyed flying his plane and had his pilot’s license for many decades. He had a passion for cooking, eating and hosting friends and family. Tom will be remembered for his entertaining stories, boisterous laugh, witty humor and generous heart.
His family will miss the many lively debates, which were always resolved in light-hearted humor.
Above all, Tom’s greatest love and joy was his family.
Tom was preceded in death by his mother, Lillian Irene Howard. He is survived by his father Robert Staples Howard, Palm Desert, Calif., who founded Howard Publications; and brothers William (Cheryl), Friday Harbor, Wash., and David (Beth), Leland, Mich.; and sister Andrea Palmer (Jack), Naples Fla. Tom was a proud father of seven children: Brian, David (Ann-Cathrin) and Alyssa with his former wife Linda Teply Howard, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; and Alexandra, Annika, Andrew and Adrienne with his wife, Beatrice Schmid Howard.
The family has resided in Wilson, Wyo. for the past eighteen years, with three years spent in his wife’s home country of Switzerland. The family greatly enjoyed living the Swiss culture and exploring Europe together. The children relished becoming local “tour guides” for their father, utilizing their superior language skills.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at the Howard residence in Wilson, Wyo. on Tom’s birthday, September 22. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his name to Dr. Jaffer Ajani’s research at MD Anderson or to an educational institution close to your heart.