BOONE, Iowa—Donald Joe Howard of Boone, IA, died on March 2, 2024 at the Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, IA. This ended his long and hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer, a disease he lived with for 5 years, surpassing every prognosis that his doctors gave him.
Don is survived by his sister, Karen Brady, nephews Ryan, Devin (Tara) and grandnephew Silas. He is also survived by his Aunt Evelyn and 17 cousins. Preceding him in death are his parents, Ross and Frances Howard, as well as his brother-in-law, Terrence Brady. Don had an older brother, Myron Howard, who died in infancy. Don was married twice, with both marriages ending in divorce.
Don was born September 28, 1948 in Marshalltown, IA. Growing up on a farm with his parents and his older sister Karen, Don remembered helping his dad run the farm, running with his dog, riding bicycles, playing with cousins and friends, and enjoying the freedom of farm life.
Don graduated from Green Mountain High School in 1966. He attended Marshalltown Community College for one year, then earned a bachelor’s degree from Mankato State College (now Minnesota State University, Mankato) in 1970 with a math education major and a physical education minor.
After graduating, Don began teaching and coaching in the Boone Community School District. Teaching is a family tradition – all four of the Howards (Frances, Ross, Karen, and Don) worked as teachers at some point in their lives.
In the 1970s, Don taught 7th and 8th grade math, as well as high school algebra and geometry. In 1984, he began teaching Computer Literacy. Don also started a more advanced computer programming course. His students learned the latest technology of the day: computer applications, touch typing, word processing, and eventually, the Internet. “Mr. Howard” was a steady presence in the lives of Boone schoolchildren, and he was proud to have taught long enough to have the children of former students in his classes.
Outside of the classroom, “Coach Howard” was a fixture in Boone athletics. Coaching was his biggest passion in life. He loved helping young people accomplish their goals and grow as people and athletes. He coached girls track for 34 years, serving the last 3 years as the varsity girls track coach. He was a girls basketball coach for 26 years, working as an assistant coach for the Toreadors varsity team that made the state tournament in 1989. He also coached boys track, boys basketball, and football. In addition to coaching, Don officiated basketball and volleyball for decades, and kept score for volleyball, basketball, and football games. To honor Don’s lifetime of service to Boone athletics, the annual Boone track meet was renamed the “Don Howard Invitational” in 2023.
Don was active with the Boone Educators Association, serving as president 3 times and working on contract negotiations with the school district for at least 15 years. Though he was known for his mild-mannered nature, Don was a tough negotiator. One year, in commemoration of a successful contract, Don’s fellow teachers gifted him with a belt buckle featuring a fire-breathing dragon.
Don retired from teaching in 2006 after 36 years and continued coaching track and field until 2023. Across his teaching and coaching careers, Don served the youth of Boone for 53 years. When he retired, the school district estimated that Don had taught 3,420 students and coached 2,219 athletes.
In addition to teaching and coaching, Don took on community leadership roles in Boone. He served on the Board of Directors of the Boone County Fair for 13 years, where his responsibilities included managing the finances of the fairgrounds. He also served on the steering committee of Pufferbilly Days and the board of the Boone County Community Credit Union. Don was a past member of the Boone Jaycees and Kiwanis Club.
In the summers, Don traveled widely. His favorite trips were long backpacking treks in the Montana wilderness. Closer to home, Don painted houses with a crew of fellow teachers, and also furthered his studies in education, taking classes from Iowa State, Drake University, and Bemidji State. He ran recreationally for many years, having completed many 10Ks and one marathon. He biked across Iowa on RAGBRAI twice. He loved doing puzzles, playing sudoku, watching old movies, and following college football and basketball.
Don loved his family, spending lots of time in Colorado with his sister and his nephews, who especially loved skiing with him. In October of 2023, despite being very ill, Don insisted on traveling to Colorado to meet his newborn grandnephew.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at 1006 6th St. in Boone, IA. There will be a visitation at 1pm followed by services at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Don’s name can be sent to Boone Booster Club, Boone Running Club, or the Mary Greeley Hospice fund.
Boone Booster Club – Online donations: http://tinyurl.com/Pay-Here-Now Checks can be mailed to: Boone Booster Club, PO Box 53, Boone, IA 50036 (Put “Howard Memorial” in memo).
Boone Running Club At US Bank, 724 Story Street, Boone, IA 50036, donate to “Boone Running Club – Don Howard Memorial”.
Mary Greeley Foundation Online donations (please designate “Hospice” on the form): https://www.mgmc.org/foundation/donate/make-a-gift/ Checks can be mailed to: MGMC Foundation, 1111 Duff Ave., Ames, IA 50010 (Put “Hospice” in memo)
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone. Online condolences may be left to Don’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com
