William “Bill” Howard –January 2, 1942 – March 10, 2023
William “Bill” Howard, loving husband and father of two, passed away
in his home on Friday, March 10, 2023, at age 81. Bill was born on
January 2, 1942, in Lawton, OK to James “Jim” Sr. and Doris (Howland) Howard.
He enlisted in the United States Navy as a “Builder” with the SeaBees in
1961 and proudly served until 1965. He attained the rank of E-4
(Petty Officer Third Class) receiving the Good Conduct Award. He served
during the Vietnam War, at Naval Base Guam and at Port Hueneme, California.
On October 6, 1967, he married Phyllis Irene Schenck. They moved to Oklahoma City where they raised two sons, Michael and Jason. Bill had a passion for any type of vehicle. He started out building sports cars, then moved on to dirt bikes and motocross. He found his true passion when he bought his first Bronco. Bill loved to take off-road trails and enjoyed rebuilding and repairing them. He shared his knowledge of automobiles with his sons, teaching them to do repairs as well as how to safely traverse rough terrain off road. He also enjoyed talking on his CB radio and was an
amateur HAMM radio operator. He was also the resource person for the
family because he just knew SO much about SO much. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, James (“Bud”) and his sister
Arleta Jones. He is survived by his wife Phyllis, his son Michael
and wife Danielle; grandson Preston and wife Lora and great-grandson
Everett; grandson Joshua and wife Bailey and great-grandson Luke;
son Jason and grandsons Malichai and Clayton; sisters Meredith Gunn
and Debbie Schofield as well as many nieces and nephews.