William Franklyn Howell Sr. of East Moriches died on May 1 of heart failure at the Suffolk Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Patchogue. He was 94.
Born 1914 in Brooklyn to Arthur Hume Howell and Gertrude Rhodes Gibson, he was a descendant of the early colonial settlers of Southampton and Southold.
After attending public schools in Brooklyn, he attended Wheaton University in Illinois where he studied for the Presbyterian ministry for a year. But his interests took a turn, leading him to begin association with Jehovah’s Witnesses as a young man and he became active in its public ministry. An ordained minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses by age 25, he served for almost 70 years and was a regular speaker at local conventions and assisted in the Bible study work and door-to-door ministry, helping to establish congregations throughout the East End of Long Island.
During his unpaid ministry service, he was employed in various fields that included teaching elementary education in Suffolk schools; working on the construction of Brookhaven National Laboratory; owning a landscaping business; driving a milk truck; and working as a school bus driver for many years. In addition, he was well known across the county as a school sports official for more than 50 years, officiating at football and girls softball. He was the oldest acting football official, retiring at 82.
An avid boater, in the 1940s he moved his family to a home overlooking the Great South Bay. Survivors recalled last week that, well into his later years, he could be seen plying the inlets and coves of the bay and Fire Island in his cabin cruiser. He and his wife, Barbara Tuttle Howell, often enjoyed spending the night anchored near the beach, basking in the beauty of the natural surroundings.
Family members recalled his warm personality, sense of humor and the ability to make friends quickly with most anyone he met.
He is survived by a son, William F. Howell Jr. and his wife Suzanne of Water Mill; a daughter, Barbara H. and her husband Gerald Wood of Islip Terrace; and his first wife and mother of his two children, Emory Longstreet Bohnke of Florida. Also surviving are 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson.
He was predeceased by his second wife, Barbara Tuttle Howell, and a brother, Arthur Bigson Howell.
Mr. Howell’s body was donated for research to the Stony Brook University Medical Center. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 31, at 2 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall, 229 Old Country Rd., Eastport, NY.
on May 26, 2008