Obituary of Morton W. Howard

GOUVERNEUR - Morton "Mort" W. Howard, age 82, of Gouverneur, passed away at home on January 8, 2013. His memorial service will be held at French Funeral Home, 16 Barnes St., Gouverneur, on Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Beth Benham officiating. A reception will follow. Burial at Cranberry Lake Cemetery will be in the spring. Condolences may be made online at www.frenchfuneralhomes.com. Mort was born on December 18, 1930 in Gouverneur to the late Ward and Vera (Jennings) Howard. At age 16 prior to graduation from Gouverneur High School, Mort had earned both his Ham Radio License and his Pilot's License. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard along the northeastern seaboard and taught electronics for a semester at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. Mr. Howard was employed by I.B.M. during the early 1950s, installing some of their first corporate computers. Mort then starting working for his father's insurance agency, Ward L. Howard, Inc., in Gouverneur and upon his father's retirement in 1968, Mort continued as owner/operator of the insurance agency before retiring in 1993. On January 18, 1952, he married Marion Nellie Sleeper, the mother of his two children. The marriage ended in divorce. Mort married Janice (Trembley) Given on May 16, 1992. She passed away on November 14, 2010. Mort was a ham radio operator, using his call sign W2ATO, for over 65 years. He enjoyed sailing his yacht, Liberty, on Lake Ontario, shooting, hunting and camping. He was a formerly on the Board of Directors of Key Bank, Gouverneur. His camp at Cranberry Lake and his motorcycle were his get-a-way. Mr. Howard is survived by his daughter, Gail M. and Warren Dent of Redmond, WA; his son, Brent S. and Susan Howard of Holmdel, NJ; stepson, Paul (Cynthia) Given of FL; stepdaughters, Debra (Ronald) Hance of Star Lake, Pamela (Raymond) Lobdell of Cranberry Lake; brother, David (Geri) Howard of Simsbury, CT; and brother-in-law, James Kennedy of Clayton and Port St. Lucie, FL. He is also survived by 2 grandchildren, 8 step grandchildren; his great-granddaughter, 4 step great-grandchildren; and his cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and wife, Janice, Mort is predeceased by his sister, Marilyn Kennedy. Memorial donations in memory of Mort may go to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 3049, Syracuse NY 13220 or at donate.americanheart.org/.