The Reverend Robert W. Howard

Let us remember with thanksgiving the life and ministry of Rev. Robert (Bob) W. Howard, 85, of West Hartford, CT who died peacefully of heart failure on Monday, October 30, 2017.

Pastor Howard, as he was fondly known, was born in 1931 in Stamford, CT, the only son of Harold and Evelyn Howard. He attended Stamford public schools and earned a BA from Williams College. He graduated from Union Theological Seminary in New York City with a master of divinity degree.

Bob began his fifty-year ministry as a student supply pastor serving congregations that included West Redding and Sandy Hook, CT. He was ordained in the New York East Conference in 1955, serving briefly at Mamaroneck, NY before moving to Brooklyn, where he served Sunset Park and Elim for several years. He was appointed to Christ United Methodist Church in Brooklyn in 1965 and served eighteen years there, followed by twenty-nine years as senior pastor at Grace United Methodist Church in Valley Stream, NY. He retired in 2002.

Bob was active in the community, leading church youth groups, serving as the chaplain of Valley Stream Fire Department, president of the board of Brooklyn United Methodist Nursing Home, and more. He was also an avid basketball player, builder of a Vermont cabin, computer webmaster, writer, landscaper, cook and handyman.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Barbara Davis Howard; his daughters Elizabeth Carnes of West Hartford, Gweneth Mahoney of Cockeysville, MD, and Kathryn Curtis of Shrewsbury, MA. He is also survived by eight grandchildren: Henry and Robert Carnes; Jessica, Craig, Jack, and Ben Mahoney; and Alanna and Sohani Curtis.

A memorial service will be held at 11am on November 24, 2017 at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Ave, Hartford, CT 06105. A private burial will be held in Stamford. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Pastor Howard's memory can be made to Asylum Hill Church or Hartford United Methodist Church, 573 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT 06105, or a United Methodist Church of your choice. Online condolences may be offered at: www.taylorandmodeen.com.