Jess Eric Howard, our generous and hard-working, younger brother, unexpectedly passed away. He was born in Murray Utah, to Donald Eugene and Lorraine Fox Howard, who both preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his older brother, Mike. He is survived by his oldest brother Brian (Diana) and his sisters, Linda (Kent) Curtis, Diane (David) Noble and Carrie (Tony) Cheshier.
He graduated from Cottonwood High School and attended the University of Utah. He would do anything for anybody at the drop of a hat, if they needed him. His love for taking things apart and putting them back together again as a child, came in handy as he loved fixing things and would run to anyone’s rescue at any time, including fixing machine problems for DFA where he was employed as a lab technician. He made a real name for himself in volleyball starting in his teens, and Jess was still playing as recently as Sunday, May 28th! He had expertise in gardening, lawn care, and sprinkler systems. He also loved to be out with his snowblower in winter. He loved animals, especially Sophie (who also preceded him in death) and Roxie. He was very fond of all 22 of his nieces and nephews. His favorite pastime was talking to family and friends on the phone, sharing stories of all the ups and downs of his life with anyone who would listen. He especially missed his mother who passed away in late January. He said he had lost his best friend. We are so happy they are together again with Dad and Mike.
On February 5th, 2017 Jess suffered a heart attack, but was miraculously healed and allowed to dwell with us here on earth for another 6 years.
There will be a visitation for family and friends from 10:00 - 11:00 am on Friday, June 9, 2023 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road, (10600 South). Sandy, Utah. A graveside ceremony will begin at 11:30 am.
Linda,
So sorry for your loss. Losing a family member is always hard, but especially when it is unexpected.
Love,
Your ZUMBA Friend, Terri
Xoxo
I knew Jess in high school.
Thoughts and prayers for his family.
Our condolences to the family. Jess was always a great friend. He and I shared a locker in Junior High. He and his family taught me how to be a better volleyball and ping pong player. We did scouts, gymnastics and tubed down Cottonwood Creek almost every day during the summers together with other friends in the area. His Mother Rainy was also a great friend to my Mother and me.
Carrie,
My deepest sympathies are with you and your family as you mourn the loss of Jess. Wishing you peace and comfort during this difficult time. May your memories become joyful, may your days be enriched with the support of family and friends, and may your lives be encircled by God's love and the love of friends and family. My condolences.
Sending sympathy to the Howard family. So sorry to hear this sad news. I wish him peace at rest and that your fond memories will comfort you always.
So sorry for your loss. Love you!
We have known Jess for 15 years as a neighbor downs the street. But more recently since 2020. We knew he was quiet and hardworking. My husband loves having a reason to use the snowblower every year, so he would race to snow blow Jess’s driveway before Jess could get to it! We knew of his heart condition and wanted to help somehow. The best part of our friendship with Jess was in 2020 during Covid. He had been living in the house adjacent to our backyard for a couple of years and we finally started talking and becoming friends. Eventually Jess had us convinced that he needed to “pay” us back for all the times his driveway was snow blown. He helped us grow our first garden. That was an incredible experience! He knew plants like no ones businesses. He was an expert! He was the “Garden Whisperer”. We also had a new addition to our family with a darling 8 week old golden doodle that same year. Guess what? That stole Jess’s heart! He was in love with his Roxy and adopted our Pepper whenever he could. He would pay my girls to take care of Roxy at times when he was at work for long hours. He wanted the girls to have the experience of working and learning what it was like to earn money and then spend it how they wanted like he was taught as a kid. Jess and I would talk on the phone for hours about anything and everything. I thought I could talk. I was wrong! He had me beat!! The problem was, I didn’t know how to say I had to get off the phone. Jess loved grass! He as the only one in the neighborhood who knew how to grow the perfect grass year after year. My husband got to be the recipient of Jess’s sprinkler knowledge. My husband would dig a hole and if Jess passed by and saw it, he couldn’t stay away. Jess was like a magnet to that and soon guess what? We had a whole new beautifully crafted brand new sprinkler system with remote controls!! In the few months of real friendship we had with Jess, our lives were blessed with his overwhelming generosity and kindness. One of his favorite loves in life was Volleyball. Little did we know that he had been a big star volleyball player for many years! Because of his talent and love of the game, he noticed a spark of that talent in our 10 year old. He said “she needs to play volleyball”. He was thrilled to see that she had potential that he noticed!! He insisted we get into lessons and see if she would like it. Well, guess what? His nephew just happed to run a volleyball club for girls! So we kind of rolled our eyes and said, ok Jess…We’ll try this out just to make you happy. 3 years later our daughter is still in love with this sport. Don’t worry Jess. We won’t forget you when she makes it to the Olympics one day! I will share again that because of Jess my family has been blessed in countless ways. Jess was a true friend to us and for us. Where we are today is because of Jess and his influence and love for our family. He treated us like family, and we treated him like family. We love him and we miss him. We will always be grateful for the memories of how 9 months of our lives were spent being constantly blessed by Jess, our neighbor.
I just learned of Jess' death today, minutes before his service. I know many of his family members. And what a great family they have! The obituary expresses well the person I knew. I wish his family peace. Be kind to yourselves as you grieve. Time is both an enemy and a friend. Grief is a process. Jess played volleyball against and later with members of my family. He was our milk delivery person for many years. Even after we moved homes, his routes were changed to include our house. During the time our life circles overlapped, I enjoyed his optimism, smile and skills.
I will treasure the memories I have of Jess Eric Howard.