James Henry Howard, Jr. passed peacefully on August 20, 2009.  He was born June 1, 1922 in Pasadena, California.  When World War II broke out he enlisted in the United States Navy and served his country in the Southwest Pacific as a PBY pilot in Patrol Squadron VP-33.  He served as a Privateer pilot in VP-772 in Korea.  He was later an executive in the Aluminum Body Corporation.

He was married to Arabella Watkins and they raised a family of five sons, Ted, Jim, John, George, and Peter, in their home town of Pasadena.  He moved to Newport Beach in 1972 and retired to Laguna Hills in 1984.  He lived 87 good years and will always be remembered as a gentleman of dignity and character.

Los Angeles Times, August 25, 2009