Billy passed away on 30 September. Those of you who knew him will remember him as an unquestionably loyal shipmate, beer drinking fool and gifted softball player....among other things.
I was lucky enough to serve with Billy at Antigua in the early 70's. We played a ton of softball, darts, shuffleboard and any other sport that involved a ball and/or beer.
Billy was a man of few words and never looked to be the center of attention....but when he spoke, people paid attention.
Very sorry to hear that Billy Howard has left us. He was great friends with a bunch of other "John's Runners" in Argentia in the mid to late 60's. May you rest in peace Billy. Condolences to any and all your family. You were exactly as Nick described in his posting.
Chuck Cable
It's very sad hearing of Billy Howard's passing. I was one of the "Johns runners" Chuck mentioned in his post. I had a two seater MG Midget at the time and, depending on who got to the car first, Billy would often end squeezing himself into the cramped "back seat" for the 90 miles of bad road between Argentia and St. Johns in the 60's. This was a trip we made weekly for about a year and a half. As others have mentioned, Billy was the strong silent type, emphasis on "strong". This was often a comfort, given some of the places at which chose to hang out. He was a good friend, and a great OT. RIP old buddy.
Billy was in the OT Maintenance class around the July-December,'71 timeframe.
Myself and John Ellis were both in that same class. Billy Howard could tell one joke right after another, without hesitation - and kept us all in high spirits, even when the "stress level" was at a "STRENGTH 4". We also had some really good times at the club - yes, Billy would "belly up to the bar" with the best of them. We will miss you.
My heartfelt condolences and prayers to his family.
We meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends throughout our careers. Every once in a while someone special comes along you immediately love. Billy was one of those kinds of people. Like Nick, I met Billy in Antigua. I had come there from ET "B" school and Billy out of maintenance school. Billy hated maintenance but with the creation of the new rate knew he had to take a tour in it. God bless him he suffered through it. Nick and me and Billy played a lot of softball on the weekends against Pan Am and the locals. Antigua was a special tour for me along with Billy and Charlie Kohn. That was a hell of a maintenance division. RIP Billy.
My old Shipmate John Burrell called me yesterday (Sat) to inform me of Billy's passing. The part I hate about retirement and old age is that we grow apart to where a valued shipmate and friend can pass on and it not be known for months.
In this case, there's a bit of a bright side in that John Burrell made contact with Billy back in the Spring and they talked for a considerable amount of time( a real feat when one gets Billy to talk a lot). But, from that conversation, we learned that Billy's health was not great but his attention was on his family of wife, kids and grandkids and the health thing would just have to wait. Typical.
As stated previously, if Billy was you friend, he was a good friend. I wrote a post a few months ago describing that while in Arg in the middle 60s, I became in need of a transmission for my 57 Chev. One magically appeared while a 56 chev in Placentia came up missing one. As I said, Billy could be a good friend!!!!!
One of Billy's best talents was his ability to run a plot. He was a stickler for neatness, detail and accuracy. It was an infectious trait in that if one was relieving Billy, the inherited product was so pristine that it encouraged that the neatness/accuracy be continued. Conversely, If Billy was the relieving plotter, it created a huge incentive to have the plot in perfect order (although Billy would normally relieve with an "I got it. Get outta here".
Billy was a good Sailor, OT, sportsman and evidently, a great family man. Billy, you couldn't have done it any better than that.
Was stationed with Billy in Keflavik back in the mid 70's...He was a Great Friend, Professional OT,and Family man. Enjoyed the many parties at his house and the EM Club. R.I.P. my Friend! Condolences to his Family!!
