Alvin Verl Howard

Alvin was the sixth straight son of seven children born to Irvin and Lila Howard of Logan, Oklahoma at the Beaver County Hospital August 14, 1941.  He had five older brothers and one younger sister.  He was the first child of his family to be born in a hospital and not at home on the farm.  For many years he held to record as the largest baby, greater than 10 pounds, to be born in that small rural Beaver County Hospital.  He was raised on a small 160 acre farm in southern Beaver County in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the small farming community known as Logan which had one small post office, small dry goods and small community baseball field.   He attended a one room school house known as Victory School from first through eighth grade and then attended Laverne High School in Laverne Oklahoma through his senior year graduating in 1959.  At one point attending Laverne School Dad had the longest bus ride of anyone in the state of Oklahoma getting on the bus at 6:00 in the mornings and returning home close to 6:00 in the evenings.  There was evening news article written up about him in the state news paper about the length of his daily trip.  He grew up playing football and baseball with his older brothers and all of the Howard boys were known to be pretty good ball players in the area.  He was a successful athlete at Laverne High School and had a scholarship offer to play college football at Colorado State University as well as a opportunity to play Triple A professional baseball in Oklahoma City.

He met Trudy Jo Wofford while attending Laverne High School and they were married on June 29, 1959 soon after his high school graduation then he attending Northwestern State University in Alva Oklahoma the following fall.  Dad tells the story of trying to make it home from college during a February blizzard with his friend Gary Lemmons sliding and pushing their way through snow drifts to make it time for my birth, which they did.   When Dad announced to mom that they had a little boy, mom turned her head and promptly vomited on the delivery room floor.  I’m not sure what that said about me because I remember very little about that day in 1960. It was in 1961 is when Dad was offered the chance to play minor league in Oklahoma City but also had a job offer to work for Michigan Wisconsin Pipeline Company making $3.00 an hour, which was more money than he had ever seen and given the fact that was mom was once again pregnant with my little sister Cindy who arrived September 15, 1961 with a full head of red hair.  If anyone knows my sister they know that the red hair was just a warning lab of things to come.   Dad chose the sure thing and went to work the pipeline company in Laverne Oklahoma.   His company changed names to ANR pipeline and was promoted a district supervisor moving to Chickasha, Oklahoma in 1981.  Dad remained with the company for a total of 35 years before retiring remained in Chickasha for 40 years.  Dad could not sit still after retirement and everyone on his block loved to be his neighbor because once he started mowing his front yard he might mow five more front yards in the neighborhood before he finished.   He was an avid fisherman his whole life and was able to fish nearly year around after moving to central Oklahoma which he loved dearly.  I don’t think he left one farm pond unfished from central Oklahoma to the Oklahoma Panhandle during his life time and had story after story about the one that got away.  I recall one time in Laverne, Dad stopped at my grandpa Wofford Gulf gas station to show him a big channel cat he had caught the night before and it just so happened that Gordan Ray, the local news paper owner, was there and asked dad where he caught that monster.  Dad quickly responded by saying “in the bottom lip” while pulling on his own bottom lip.  Dad was a well seasoned fisherman who knew to never give up the location of a good “honey hole” to anyone.   He was also the neighborhood handy man after his retirement, fixing stuff right and left for all his friends in the Heatherwood addition.  His greatest joy was spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren taking them fishing and play ball in the back yard their whole lives.  He spoiled them rotten and was a really good Papa to them all.  There are many more stories and adventure about Dad to write about but I will leave you with this one.  Growing up dad was one of the strongest men I knew and when the family would gather at Grandpa and Grandma Howard little Farm house there was a long line of cousins waiting to be thrown to the sky by their Uncle Alvin.  He would launch them high in the air catching them just before hitting the ground over and over again.  He did have one slip through his hands once and the only ones that were upset about it were the mom’s of those flying babies soaring through the sky.

Dad was a good man, good father, loved with a big heart and lived an abundantly good life.  But even though we watch dementia over take his mind these past few years the good news is that he loved Jesus with all his heart and is now completely restored walking the streets of gold for all eternity.  Never forget God is always good no matter our circumstances.

Dad is preceded in death by his parents Irvin and Lila, brothers Bobby, Roy, Melvin and Delvin, sister in law Lennie Steinbrink and daughter in law Debbie.  He is survived by his wife Trudy of Seymour, Texas; Son Larry of Seymour, Texas; daughter Cindy Abdon and husband Tim of Chickasha, Oklahoma; Granddaughter Lindsey May and husband Mike of Venus, Texas; Granddaughter Ashley Ridenour and husband Kevin of Archer City, Texas:  Grandson Reed Howard and wife Stephanie of Dublin, Texas; Grandson Brent Abdon and wife Mindi of Tuttle, Oklahoma; Grandson Craig Abdon and husband Michael of Norman, Oklahoma.  One brother Bill and wife Dorothy of Shattuck, Oklahoma and sister Vesta Roach of Booker, Texas.  One sister in law Janie Wofford of Laverne, Oklahoma and one brother in law John Steinbrink of Stillwater, Oklahoma.   Great Grandchildren Carter, Zerah, Barrett, Landri, Abigale, Hattie, Nolan, Stevie and Boone.  Many nieces and nephews which he loved dearly.  Dad’s wishes were to be cremated and a small graveside service in Laverne so current there are no arrangements being made until the fall.   If you wish, in lieu of flowers you can donate to the Debbie Howard Summer church camp scholarship fund at the First Baptist Church in Seymour Texas.