Kevin Howard

KEVIN JAY HOWARD

Fairfield

Kevin Jay Howard, 55, of Fairfield, Iowa, passed away Aug. 13, 2020. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Living Hope Bible Church in Eldon, Iowa, with Pastor Mark officiating. Visitation will begin at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the church and last until the time of service. A graveside service with military honors will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in the Richland Cemetery in Richland, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, cards may be mailed to Shane Howard, 4283 Mallard Place SE, Rochester, MN 55904.

Kevin was born April 13, 1965, in Fairfield, to Frank Howard Jr. and Rebecca Lynn Howard (Steele). He spent his childhood living in Batavia. He graduated from Cardinal in 1983 while lettering in baseball. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1985-89 and was later honorably discharged from the Reserves. A quote from the Navy: "Fair Winds and Following Seas" is a gesture of good luck to those we will miss and sailors who have served with honor and courage. Kevin will be missed and honored by all of us still here to continue telling his stories.

After the Navy, he continued his career at Chappell Studio/Marathon Foto, which later transitioned to GradImages. He worked hard in many capacities including equipment production, photographer and team captain. He also worked seasonally for World Wide Photography on their Christmas and Easter Bunny sets. He recently completed truck driving school and was making warehouse runs for a local company. He was passionate about photographing nature at its best or worst to capture the story. He loved his dogs, Louie and Ozzie, as well as cooking some of the best food, enjoying music, watching old movies, storytelling, fishing, hunting, and just going for a drive.

He was preceded in death by grandparents, Frank "Curly" Howard and Dorothy Howard (later remarried Snyder), Francis "Herb" and Alice Steele; and stillborn twin sisters.

He is survived by his father, Frank Howard Jr. of Ottumwa; mother, Rebecca Howard of Fairfield; brothers, Jeff Howard of New Hampton, Shane (Kayla) Howard of Rochester, Minn., and Shawn Howard of Ottumwa; nephews, Nathan, Nick, Nolan, Austin and Matthew; niece Makenna; grea niece Skye; lifelong companion, Kelly Laughlin; and many extended family and friends.