Reginald Howe

Reginald William Howe, 59, died Saturday, March 24, 2012, on his land in Ignacio, Colo. A Funeral Service will be Wednesday, March 28, 2012, at 10 a.m. at So. Ute Memorial Chapel. Deacon Larry Tucker of St. Ignatius Catholic Church will be officiating. Burial will occur at Ouray Memorial Cemetery in Ignacio. A wake will be held at the family home on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at 6 p.m. at 1051 County Road 315 in Ignacio. Mr. Howe was born October 20, 1952, in Ignacio, Colo., the son of Rudolph and Stella Howe. Mr. Howe grew up and attended schools in Ignacio. He was a gifted athlete and played every sport that was available to him. Many of his athletic records have not been broken to this day. He graduated from Ignacio High School in 1970, and shortly after that he was drafted to play professional baseball with the Chicago Cubs. He declined to play with the team due to the birth of his son, Lonnie Howe. He met and married Lindy Bright, and they had a son, Lonnie Howe, and a few years later they had a daughter, Glorie Howe. Mr. Howe attended college in Washington state at that time. That marriage later ended in divorce. In the mid 1980's, he returned to the Ignacio area and began working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He was the Irrigation Supervisor for many, many years. He was also a reserve police officer for the Southern Ute Police department. Also in the mid 1980’s he met Marie Gomez and they had a daughter, Shyida Howe. In December 1993, he and Marie were married. After working for 25 years, he retired. Retirement was not enough for the "workaholic," he went back to work for the Sky Ute Casino and resort as a shuttle driver and then worked for Hocker construction. Unbeknownst to him, the Tribe offered him to come back to work as the Irrigation Supervisor. He was a well-liked and hard worker. Mr. Howe enjoyed his family, especially his granddaughter, Torrica. They did everything together. There were many times that they would go to the movies together and spend much time with their beloved horses. All of his grandchildren were his pride and joy, but Torrica was his companion that he adored. He extended his love to other "adopted" grandchildren as well as his nieces and nephews. He was a very caring man--always willing to help anyone and concerned for people's well beings. He was also a great cook and his family fondly recalls the best enchiladas, pot roast and meat loaf. His love of sports extended to later in his life. He enjoyed playing golf, watching his grandchildren play sports, and rooting for the Seattle Seahawks. He played the harmonica and liked listening to Metallica and Stevie Nicks. He was a Sundancer and member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. He is survived by Marie Howe (wife) of Ignacio, Shyida Howe (daughter) , Torrica Howe (granddaughter) , Neeka Ryder (granddaughter), Glorie Johnson (daughter) of Auburn, WA, Jori Howe (granddaughter) of Auburn, WA, Florann Howe (sister) of Ignacio, Steve Burch (brother) of Ignacio, Hilda Burch (step-sister) of Ignacio, six more grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews and other family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, his only son Lonnie Howe, his brothers: Gerald Howe, Rudolph Howe, and Don Howe.