Obituary: Tech. Sgt. (ret.) Gary Lee Howell, 62
TECH. SGT (ret.) GARY LEE HOWELL
Tech. Sgt. (ret.) Gary Lee Howell, 62, died Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, with his family by his side in New Haven. He was born Oct. 2, 1954 at Fort Knox to Alvis and Violet Howell. His father was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and his mother was a loving stay-at-home mom. He loved camping, reading and building electronics. He was a graduate of Elizabethtown High School and involved with football, baseball and the Boys Scouts of America. He attended Western Kentucky University.
He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1974 with a career spanning 21 years. During his career in the Air Force as a ballistic and instrumentation specialist, he was instrumental in programming and completing the first Stealth bombers. He was the recipient of several prestigious commendations, among those the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He retired as a Tech Staff Sergeant and then worked at Remington Arms as a lab technician testing old and new weapons until retiring in 2015. A member of the Memorial United Methodist Church, he was a Kentucky Colonel, an active member of the NRA, and a lifelong Kentucky Wildcat fan. He loved being with his family and his dogs Dozer and Lucy.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Violet and Lt. Col. Alvis M. Howell.
He is survived by four siblings, Vickie Webb of Smiths Grove, Sharon (Steve) Yates of Rineyville, Alan (Kimberly) Howell of Elizabethtown, and Robin Howell of Memphis;
six nieces and nephews, Aaron (Meredith) Howell, Corey (Kimberly) Yates, Ashley (Nick) Dikeos, Leah (Jacob) Riggs, Jarrod (Rachel) Meredith, and Austin (Emily) Howell; 12 great-nieces and great-nephews.
Visitation is 4-9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2, 2017, and 9-10 a.m. Tuesday at the Brown Funeral Home in Elizabethtown. The family will have a private burial at the Veterans Cemetery in Radcliff.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks expressions of sympathy take the form of donations to the Hardin County Animal Shelter.
The Brown Funeral Home in Elizabethtown is in charge of arrangements.
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