Reynold C. Howard

Rey Howard grew up in the small town of Osakis, Minnesota in the 1920s and 30s, where his Dad ran the Great Northern Railroad depot and his Mom took in sewing to make ends meet. He was a great athlete in high school, playing football, basketball, and baseball, as well as wrestling and running track. In 1941, Rey married his high school sweetheart, Dema, who lived on a farm across the lake, a place he often visited by skating across the frozen Lake Osakis in the winter. Dema and Rey moved to Minneapolis where he completed technical training at the Dunwoody Institute and got a job at Honeywell supporting the war effort. Their two children, Pam and Gary, were born in Minneapolis. In 1947, Rey and his brother Harold pulled up stakes and moved their families to Spokane, a Great Northern stop they had often visited as kids. In Spokane Rey worked for Kaiser Aluminum, sold electrical supplies, and finally settled into what became his long-term work running photo-finishing plants. In 1962, Rey and Dema made their final big move, settling in Edmonds, WA. Here Rey became active in Kiwanis, volunteering to help struggling kids in the Edmonds schools, and working for Crime Watch with the Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace Police departments. For his final career move, Rey decided to get out of the film processing plant and take the pictures himself. He founded Rey Howard Photography and spent many years doing school and sports photos throughout Snohomish and King Counties. Countless numbers of students and athletes remember Rey as the fun guy how took great pictures at school events and on the sports fields. In 1993 Rey gave up his business and spent several retirement years traveling with Dema, trips that took them to Mexico, many countries in Europe, and a big adventure in Bali with their daughter-in-law, Lotus. One of Reys greatest memories was the 4 weeks he spent in Peru, working on an Earth Watch project supporting indigenous farmers in the rural mountains. He also did two trips down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, running the huge white water with his boatman grandson, Benjie. After Dema passed away in 2010, Rey lived at Brighton Court retirement home in Lynnwood, where he enjoyed many of the senior sports and educational programs. He was especially good at beanbag baseball, leading the Brighton Court team to several victories in cross-home competitions. Tuesday night Bingo-for-money also became a regular passion. Rey is missed and loved by a family of 5 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. All of the kids, including Pam and Gary, remember him as an adult who loved to play with kids, teasing and roughhousing and laughing across multiple generations. He was also a great friend and neighbor to all he met. So many people remember Rey Howard as the guy who was always ready with a smile and helping hand. In his last few days, Rey talked a lot about going home and going fishing. Finally free from a body that had worn out on him, he is once again a strong and adventurous kid casting his line for Walleye in Lake Osakis.