TAPS
This page is dedicated to Howe Alumni™ or Old Boys/Girls who recently passed away. To report a death, contact us or e-mail our Outreach Coordinator at: alumni.outreach@hmsalumni.org.
With sadness, we report the passing of the following fellow Howe alums:
Robert Lamb ’49 View obituary
Elizabeth “Liz” Aguilera ’93
Elizabeth passed away on October 31, 2024; awaiting further information.
Joy Streeter Vanderwoude ’89 View obituary
John Walker ’70 View obituary
Donald James Walstrom, OB ’49 View obiturary
Dennis Redden, a Howe teacher for 35 years View obituary
Kenneth Caver ’84
Kenneth was in C Company and a member of the Old Guard. A photo of his Confirmation is on page 116 of the 1984 Tatler.
Cliff Lloyd ’79 View obituary
Erik B. Stokes ’91 View obituary
Dr. George Bakris ’70 View obituray
Joseph F. Rieth ’53
Joseph died of leukemia June 13, 2024. His daughter Claudia notified us via e-mail. Joe worked as an automotive industrial engineer in Brazil for decades, and more recently was an instructor there in English as a foreign language. He attended Howe for eight years.
Horace W. Corbin ’47 View obituary
William “Bill” Spengler ’68 View obituary
David E. Gettinger
David passed away 4 Nov 2023, former English teacher
View obituary
Stuart Mann ’81
Stuart died 22 November 2021; no other information.
James Squires ’79
View obituary
David E. Fry ’61
View obituary
Richard Fairall ’68
View obituary
Dane Kelly ’18
View obituary
James Lhamon ’65
View obituary
Kenneth Washington, Sr. ’64
Kenneth died Tuesday, 12 December 2023. No other information.
Father of Kenneth Washington, Jr. ’85
Michael Andrews ’79
View obituary
Glenn Jackson ’79
View obituary
Paul O’Reilly ’66
View obituary
Marjorie Bouton, 90, of Champaign, IL died at 6:50 a.m. Saturday 14 Oct. 2023, at home. She was the widow of Larry Bouton ’49, long-time HMS Trustee.
View obituary
Eugene Drafta ’48
View obituary
Lt. Col. John “Bill” Brill ’48
View obituary
Scribner Harlan ’48
View obituary
Thomas F. Ditzler ’64
Thomas died August 4, 2023, survived by wife, Ann, and two sons, Benjamin and Nathan. Internment Flint Memorial Park (9506 N. Dort Hwy, Mount Morris, MI 48458) is scheduled for late November or early December.
Lawrence Thomas ’66
View obituary
Jeff Yoder ’65
Jeff died 19 July 2023 after a long battle with cancer. Jeff was a past president of this Association.
Donald G. Kalec ’53
View obituary
Richard Taylor ’52
View obituary
Austin Judge ’07
View obituary
Michael Weichmann ’67
Michael passed away at his home on 5-13-23 after a long battle with Leukemia. Mike was in Company B at Howe. Cremation rites have been accorded; there are no services.
Brant C. Edwards, OB1995
Died October 26, 2020, son of James Edwards ’70.
Robert Bishop ’56
View obituary
Branch R. Moeling, COL, US Army (Ret) ’55
View obituary
James Malerich
James Malerich taught at Howe for 43 years.
View obituary
Howard L. Terrell
After a career in U. S. Air Force bands, Mr. Terrell taught music at Howe 1970-1986.
View obituary
Thomas R. Donkin ’54
View obituary
Betty I. Priest
Ms. Priest was Jean Miller’s and Jill Reed’s mother and Mike Reed’s grandmother. Jean, Jill, Mike, and Jean’s husband Ray are all Honorary Alums and were long-time School employees.
View obituary
Donald Barr ’58
Frank Morrison ’51
View obituary
Shirley Herrick, widow of Kenneth Herrick ’40
View obituary
John Weber ’67
View obituary
John C. “Pete” Peterson ’55
Pete was a member of the Board of Trustees for years, and Alumnus of the Year 2005.
View obituary
Barry Lyon ’68
View obituary
William Arthur Stoneberg, III ’72
View obituary
James Edgett ’57
View obituary
James McGuire ’68
James passed away on June 17, 2022. His Howe biography is in the 1968 Tatler.
View obituary
Ray Gillespie ’68
View obituary
Ralph Huggett ’43
Ralph passed away on April 7, 2022. He was 97. A former Trustee.
Cliff Herold OB ’52
View obituary
John C. Wattles ’49
View obituary
Melvin Blackmon, Jr. ’74
View obituary
Judith Cramer Perkins
Sister of COL Thomas Merritt ’53, daughter of MAJ James Merritt ’17, and niece of Margaret Merritt, long time School secretary.
Judith Cramer Perkins died on April 25, 2022. She was born in Sturgis, Michigan on April 29, 1939 to James Schaeffer and Marian Davidson Merritt.
As a child she was raised at Howe Military School in Howe, Indiana where her father was Commandant of Cadets. She was baptized at St. James Chapel on the school campus. She attended school at Lima Township. Her mother died when she was 9 years old and they moved off campus to the Merritt home where her father married Rosella Klopfenstein. After graduation, she worked for 10 years at the State Bank of Lima in Howe. She enjoyed traveling to San Antonio, Texas to visit her Dad’s sister Margaret Merritt. She also liked to visit her Grandmother Davidson in Constantine, Michigan and go to Lake Orion, Michigan to visit her Mother’s brother Halsey Davidson and his wife Harriet along with her two cousins, Alice and Marianne. Throughout her life, she loved spending time with her favorite cousin, Harriet Willard Wade.
On September 9, 1967 she married Miles S. Perkins of Stroh, Indiana at the St. James Chapel after a short courtship that started with a blind date. She became a member of the Stroh Church of Christ. She raised her family on Big Turkey Lake near Stroh.
Surviving are her husband, Miles Perkins, two daughters and sons-in-law Alice (Mark) Snyder of Grayling, Michigan and Ann (Matt) Scott of Pittsboro, Indiana and grandchildren Benjamin Snyder, Brady Scott, Kristina Snyder and Macy Scott.
She is preceded in death by her brother COL Thomas Merritt ’53, former Superintendent and long-time Trustee, mother Marian and father MAJ James Merritt ’17, long-time Commandant of Cadets, and aunt Margaret Merritt, long time School secretary.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 11am at the Stroh Church of Christ. Calling will be held on Friday, May 6, 2022 from 4-8pm and at 10am prior to Memorial Service. In memory of Judy, wear red and/or hearts. A burial service will be held at Lake Bethel Cemetery, LaGrange, Indiana and Constantine Township Cemetery, Constantine, Michigan following the service.
Memorials are to be made to the St. Mark’s Episcopal Parish in Howe, Indiana or to the Howe Military School Alumni Association. To expedite donations to HMSAA, please mail to Jean Miller, Outreach Coordinator, 17 Clay St., Lake Placid, FL 33852 so Jean can send “Thank you” noted and tax receipts.
Edgar “Ken” Leavenworth ’53
View obituary
William Pearlman ’71
View obituary
Carl A. “Pete” Rehm, Jr. ’53
View obituary
Frederick Koehler ’46
View obituary
Kenneth (Kenny) Lee ’80
Kenneth passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, October 9th, 2021.
His services were held Saturday, October 23, 2021 at Berean Church, 5147 S. Dearborn St. Chicago, Illinois 60609.
John M. Roelke ’55
John passed away in his home on August 17, 2021. View obituary.
Robert Buchanan Beardsley
View obituary
David Busch ’71
Steve Carmick
View obituary
John Frayer, OB ’70
View Obituary
Reynold Hallett ’67
View Obituary
Robert Joss ’47
View Obituary
Robert served as a director on the Alumni Board for a number of years and attended all of the Indianapolis events.
Wayne Kieb ’62
View Obituary
Scott C. Shurz, Sr. ’53
View obituary
Scott was a loyal supporter of Howe; he was Alumnus of the Year in 2002.
Travis Sowers, ’93
View obituary
David Speer, ’72
View obituary
Glen Szladek ’65
Seal Beach, CA
Major Talmadge “Tam” Haas
USAF, ’60 died 4-4-21 in Oregon.
View Obituary