Dale Dwight Howard

Dale Dwight Howard passed into the presence of Jesus, his Savior and Lord, on May 13, 2023 at his son’s home in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. 

Dale grew up in northern Ohio with his parents, Shirley Oakey and Grace Harriet Howard and five older siblings, Wayne, Carol (Blackie), Vivian, Thelma and Paul (infant) who all preceded him in death.  Dale met his wife Edna at the Wadsworth Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in high school and took her on their first date to a get a hamburger, fries and milk shake on Valentine’s Day. That first date turned into a 64 year marriage and resulted in six son’s:  Mike (Bev) of Portales, NM; Paul (Laurie) of Lincoln, NE; Ron of Red Lodge, MT; Joe (Maria) of North Africa; Nate (Sharon) of Elizabethtown, PA; Chris (Kim) of Charlotte, NC; 19 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren with three more on the way.  Both Dale and Edna were bridge builders and helped to keep the extended Howard family connected. They traveled and invested in relationships with their children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces all over the country. 

Dale came to know Jesus as a teenager and both he and Edna committed their lives to following Him. They worked together to teach others about His saving grace and rested in their Heavenly Father’s commitment to change them from one moment to another into people who looked increasingly like Jesus.  Whether it was in his 25 years of pastoral ministry in Indiana, Texas, Illinois, Nebraska and Colorado, his five years as Chaplain of The Alliance Academy in Quito, Ecuador or in the myriad of other jobs Dale held from delivering pies, construction or counseling, Dale was quick to listen and did his best to point people to the only one who could truly change their lives, Jesus. 

Dale valued learning and even though he never finished high school, he earned his undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree in Counseling and used that education to provide hope to hundreds of individuals and couples.

Dale loved a good challenge be it in sport, home renovation or woodworking. He was a natural athlete and loved to compete in track, football, tennis, golf, softball, and basketball. He renovated numerous homes, even digging a complete foundation by hand in a 100-year-old farmhouse when he was over sixty. One of the primary means Dale demonstrated his love in his retirement years was through woodworking. He was dedicated to honing his craft and spent countless hours in his woodshop making beautiful furniture for his sons, grandkids, and neighbors. He loved to repair broken things and found real joy in delighting friends with his ingenuity.

Dale’s family and friends will gather to remember Dale at The Alliance Church in Elizabethtown, PA on July 8th, 2023. The family will receive visitors from 1:00 to 2:00pm and a memorial service will follow at 2:00pm. A meal will be provided after the memorial service at the church. To honor Dale’s passion and desire to help people get to know Jesus and the good news of the gospel, donations in memory of Dale may be made to The Great Commission Fund of the Christian & Missionary Alliance:  https://cmalliance.org/give/gift?desc=Worker+%2334981&acct=1-47700-43-24-34981

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