George Albert Howell

George Albert Howell, 92, of Louisville, Kentucky passed away December 31, 2011 at Cumberland Pointe Health Campus, West Lafayette, Indiana.

He was born in the family home near Glasgow, Iowa on October 22, 1919. He attended Parsons College for two years, graduated from Purdue University (Electrical Engineering, 1948), and also studied at the University of Pittsburgh. He attended Purdue after serving in the Army Signal Corp at Camp Murphy, Florida and Fort Monmouth, New Jersey during WWII as a radar instructor. He finished the war at Wright Patterson Field in Ohio as a member of the Army Air Corp. On March 4, 1943, he married Lucille Ann (Barrow) Howell who preceded him in death.

He is survived by three sons; Thomas Orville Howell of O'Fallon, Illinois (wife Lois), Brent Wesley Howell of Seattle, Washington (partner Kristin Dahl Kinsey), and Gregory Lynn Howell of West Lafayette, Indiana (wife Kay). George is also survived by sisters Margaret "Peg" Newell of Des Moines, Iowa (husband Kenneth), Fern Crafton of Fairfield, Iowa, Evelyn Zumdome of Ft. Madison, Iowa, and wife Dorothy (Quirk) Howell. His parents: Parvin and Helen Howell, one sister, Vernie Metz of Fairfield and his brother Thomas Marion Howell of Glasgow, Iowa (survived by wife Rachel (Riepe) Howell) precede George in death. He has two granddaughters, Brooke Howell of Washington, D.C. and Dr. Stacy (Howell) Williams (husband Bryan) of Avon, Indiana, plus one great granddaughter, Claire Elizabeth Williams.

After WWII, Mr. Howell designed part of the reactor for the 1st nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus. He also helped install the radar and sonar. Afterwards he returned home to Iowa (Burlington) for about three years before moving permanently to Louisville, Kentucky in 1955. In Louisville, he was an active member of 4th Avenue United Methodist Church as well as the St. Matthews Kiwanis Club. He also remained a Masonic Lodge member, Grand Lodge of Iowa, A.F. & A.M. Baseball was his passion in his youth and he was a hunting and fishing advocate for a lifetime. He especially enjoyed reciting the poetry of Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley, both publically and privately.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 5, 2012 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield, with Pastor Medea Saunders officiating.

Visitation will be held 1 hour before the funeral service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Glasgow Cemetery, 3169 Wheat Blvd., Lockridge, IA 52635.