In December of 1968, when his ship was in Pearl Harbor to be equipped for Apollo 8, his fiancé, Janet Eveland, flew to Hawaii, and they were married at the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu. After his enlistment ended, he returned to the States, and the couple eventually settled in Mendota, IL. There, he was the assistant manager and then owner of a Ben Franklin store. He was a member of several organizations during his time in Mendota: Lions Club, Elks Club, Masonic Lodge, Mendota Community Theater, Tri-County Fair Board. In 1984 because of the advent of big-box stores, he was forced to close his store. He went to work for RR Donnelley as a maintenance electrician, using skills he had learned during his time in the Navy.

He formerly owned Arbuckle Electric of Sulphur with his brothers, Larry and Bill Howe. He was a Viet Nam veteran.

After his retirement in 2003, the couple moved to Chambersburg, PA where he pursued his love of American history and developed an interest in golf. He also researched and wrote a history of his own family. A final move brought him and his wife to Arizona to be close to their daughter.

He is survived by his wife, Janet of Dewey, AZ; two sons, Rick Schmees of Oklahoma City, and Randy Howe of St. Louis, MO; a daughter, Leigh (Jon) Beltramini of Phoenix, AZ; two brothers, Bill Howe of Fort Cobb, and Larry Howe of Oklahoma City; two sisters, Nita Self of Oklahoma City and Shirley Allen of Sulphur; and four grandchildren, Jackson Beltramini, Jamieson Schmees, Dominic Beltramini, and Sydney Howe.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bailey Howe and Vesta Brewer; his brother, Charlie and his sister, Rita; and his so, Jonathan Schmees.

Services are pending.