Howard Leighton

HOWARD NOYES LEIGHTON UNDERHILL - Howard Noyes Leighton, 79, of Underhill, VT, husband of Carolyn Lowe Leighton, died peacefully at his home Dec. 23, 2011 surrounded by his loving family after fighting a courageous battle with scleroderma. Howard, son of the late Howard M., (from whom he learned the value of hard work), and Ethel (Applebee) Leighton, (from whom he got his love of literature and poetry), was born in Montrose, MD where he attended a two-room elementary school and graduated from Richard Montgomery High School. Howard then went on to graduate from Bliss Electrical School, Takoma Park, MD, earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, and achieved his Master of Electrical Engineering degree from the University of VT. Howard began his career working for NSA repairing teletype machines, and then worked for Jansky & Bailey, a small R &D firm in Georgetown, D.C. In 1962, he began working for IBM’s Federal Systems Division in MD and VA. He was proficient in analog circuit design and his name appears on eight IBM patents, the first one being the modulator – demodulator circuit for IBM’s 4872 modem. Howard loved the quietness and tranquility of a mountainous, woodsy environment, and instilled that love in his family through vacations to W. VA. That love was made permanent in 1979, when Howard and Carolyn moved from Rockville, MD to the foothills of Mt. Mansfield in Underhill VT. He continued working for IBM in Essex Jct. and retired in 1990. He returned for a time to work for IBM as a consultant writing invention disclosures. He briefly taught electronics for VTC, served 8 years as a board member of Underhill Central School, and was a recent Director for the Vermont Electric Coop. Howard was an avid tennis player, and played for many years, even teaching for a time at Smuggler’s Notch Resort. He was a devoted husband, and a wonderful father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and is fondly remembered for his great sense of humor and interjection of puns with scholarly wit. The ever adept handyman, his home projects are a memorial to his engineering acuity, and a reminder that he embraced challenges with perseverance and dedication. His skills and helpful nature extended to his friends, neighbors, and other family members. Howard is survived by his loving wife of nearly 60 years, son Richard of VA, son Lawrence of Underhill, daughter Karen Lestage, her husband Tom, their children William and Griffin of Fairfax, VT; grandchildren Shannon, her husband Duane, their children Brittany, Megan, and Colby of MD; Ryan of VA; Adam and wife Katie, and their children Mason and Leif of VA; and Shayne Machova and husband Frank of FL. He is also survived by his beloved sisters, Alice Schmidt, Eleanor Cunningham, and Jean Testerman, and their families, all of MD. The family would like to thank the VNA Hospice team for their attentive care of Howard. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Scleroderma Foundation (www.scleroderma.org/), 462 Boston Street, Suite 1-1, Topsfield, MA 01983-1239. In keeping with Howard’s wishes, there will be no funeral but a gathering of remembrance will be held at a later time to be announced. The family invites you to share your memories and online condolences by visiting www.awrichfuneralhomes.com