Birth date: Feb 20, 1904 Death date: Nov 6, 2007
La Verne Ryan Howard, age 103, formerly of Moulton, Iowa passed away November 6, 2007 at Centerville Nursing and Rehab. La Verne was born February 20, 1904 in West Grove, Iowa to William and Mae (Ryan) Howard. La Verne married Mon Read Obituary
Mr. Howard was my grandfather for 62 Years, it's still hard for me to believe that he was already 41 years old when I was born, and that he witnessed more technological changes in his 103 years than ever took place on this planet before he was born. His extraordinarily sharp mind and exceptional sense of humor will be greatly missed by many family members and friends. With All Our Love, The Harvey Family Posted by Richard C Harvey November 06, 2007
SORRY FOR YOUR LOST. RICH AND DEANNA Posted by RICH AND DEANNA DULEY November 08, 2007
My thoughts are with all the Howard Family. LaVerne was an all around person. Always finding time to chat and look after the mowers. Many people will miss him. Take care..Jan Houser Posted by Janet Houser November 09, 2007
What wonderful man. I didn't know him very well, but it is evident through Harold and his family that G'pa Howard was a wonderful man that loved family and of course mechanics. How wonderful to have him around for 103 years. The promise of Eternal Life comforts us all. You have our deepest sympathy. Barb Osborn, Jennie, Emily, Kevin, Megan and Tyler Posted by Barb Osborn November 11, 2007
LaVerne R. Howard, My GrandpaMy grandpa lived a long and good life. We were talking one day about how large our family was growing and he mentioned he and Grandma were the roots of a mighty big tree. We are all blessed to have had such stable roots for us to grow from. While I was growing up I took my Grandpa for granted. I remember going to the old garage on First Street in Moulton, then the garage at home and watching quietly so that I wouldn't bother Grandpa. There were a couple grandkids that were allowed to touch but mostly that was how it was for us grandkids when you went to the garage you don't touch Grandpa's tools or get dirty. Grandpa always seemed so serious. I remember being at their house many summers for a week or two at a time. They had friends over to play cards and have a good time, but other than that I don't really remember Grandpa having fun. He was of a generation that had to work hard to make a place in life. He grew up on a farm, worked as a hired man on a farm, owned his own service station where he also sold Jeeps, owned his own repair shop; and eventually found Dixon Lawnmowers to take him through his retirement. I was 39 years old when my dad passed away and I really started to appreciate my Grandpa. Don't get me wrong I've always loved my Grandpa, he was a constant in my life I wouldn't have wanted to grow up without. But, I think, as I grew older my appreciation for him grew stronger. After my dad passed on I tried to remember to tell Grandpa each time I saw him that I loved him. He wasn't the kind of person that said things like that easily but I knew that by the extra hug or kiss on the cheek he would give me that he loved me too. I also discovered he had the greatest sense of humor and I only hope that everyone else had a chance to know the humor in him. My husband Dick and a couple of our friends used to go to Moulton to turkey hunt in the spring. I think Grandma & Grandpa looked forward to it as much as the guys did. They would all be sitting around visiting and Grandpa would start picking on Grandma and soon the guys were in it just as deep. They would come home telling all kinds of stories and they weren't all about hunting, some would be about how Grandpa would pull one over on Grandma. Grandpa was kinda funny about some things. The bed had to be placed in the room so his head was toward the west so that he would be facing the sunrise every morning. Think about it, that's the direction you are buried in almost every cemetery I can remember being in. When it came time to choose cemetery lots he wouldn't buy the one next to my parents because the water would drain over his lot. Grandpa never did like the water much so they picked lots in the highest area of the cemetery. He and my mom were talking about the cost of funerals one time and they had just purchased a new battery for his old Cadillac. Grandpa was complaining about the high cost of things and mom told him when it was his time he wouldn't have a choice she'd just have them dig a bigger hole and bury him in the Cadillac. His retort to that was Well at least I'll have a new battery and the lights will stay on a little longer. In May of 2003 Dick and I took Grandpa over to Drakesville to an Amish farm where our horses were. On the way there we went past a saw mill. Grandpa knew that sawmill wasn't there the last time he was over there. Well, to me it looked like it had been there a long time and I just thought Grandpa wasn't remembering that area very well. A couple weeks later I was at that same Amish farm and the Amish man told me that sawmill had only been there a couple years. Grandpa was still pretty sharp. The funeral service for Grandpa's brother Ermon was held on Oct. 1, 2003. Their sister, Maxine, came from Winterset and stopped at Grandpa's house after the burial. I was in the kitchen when I heard them start laughing. Having my interest peeked I went and stood at the kitchen doorway. Grandpa was asking Maxine if she remembered when Marvin and he were throwing bricks at each other. She said she remembered a kitchen window being broken and Grandpa laughed and said, I ducked. That afternoon was something I wouldn't have wanted to miss. I don't recall my Grandpa talking about his childhood before that day. Maxine said she remembered being sent to the house by the boys for matches and coming back out to the cornfield where the boys smoked corn silks. They reminisced about their parents' home catching on fire because of fireworks from the night before. A spark had landed in the leaves in the rain gutter and it took overnight to start the house on fire. The amazing event of 2004 was Grandpa turning 100 years old and we all celebrated with a wonderful party. I think Grandpa looked forward to that more than we will know. He really enjoyed the day. I talked to him later about it and he was impressed that so many people came to help him celebrate, especially his grandson, Richard and great grandson Travis from Georgia. What a great day. One of Grandpa's greatest joys in the past couple years was his great, great grandson, Aidan. What a special connection these two had. Grandpa went to the hospital in May 2005 for bronchitis. There were times during his stay in the hospital I wasn't sure he knew who I was but the minute Aidan came into his sight he perked right up. After his hospital stay it came time to make the hard decision of moving Grandpa to the care center. Grandpa seemed accepting of the move but longed to be in his own home. While I was there one day, shortly after his move, he asked me about going fishing. I replied that I didn't know that he fished. He said he never had time but he could make the time now. My response was that he'd need to have someone else take him because I didn't know the first thing about it. He said he would teach me. How special that was to have Grandpa still want to teach me something. Grandpa adjusted to living at the care center but never did adjust to the food. Mom and Janie would take him treats a Sonic cheeseburger and homemade soups were a welcome substitute for lunch or supper. I was concerned when we had his 102nd birthday party. I worried that he would become confused because he hadn't seen so many of us but my worries were unfounded and we had a great day. He came through it with flying colors. Love always,Your GranddaughterSheryl (Lewin) Ledlie Posted by Sheryl Lewin Ledlie - Des Moines, IA - granddaughter January 31, 2012
