Terry Leigh Howard

Terry Leigh Howard was born on February 12, 1946, in Seattle, Washington, to Terry Jay and Louise (Boster) Howard. His birth during the immediate post-war boom placed him among the Baby Boom generation that would define American culture for decades to come. The Seattle of 1946 was experiencing the dynamic economic activity of returning servicemen seeking employment and housing, creating the vibrant conditions that characterized the Pacific Northwest's largest city during those transformative years.

Terry's early childhood was marked by the geographic mobility common to working-class families following employment opportunities across the Pacific Northwest. His family's journey took them from Seattle to the frontier territories near Ketchikan, Alaska, where young Terry was exposed to the rugged conditions and resource extraction industries that dominated Southeast Alaska's economy during the 1950s. The timber and fishing industries that defined Ketchikan would provide Terry with his first understanding of outdoor recreation and the working-class economy that would shape his values throughout his life.

From Alaska, the Howard family relocated to Camp Grisdale, a remarkable logging community in western Washington that operated "for 40 years, from 1946 to 1986," housing "up to 300 single loggers and 52 logging families" in a forest community located "high up in the foothills of the Olympics". Terry's early childhood in this isolated logging camp exposed him to the interdependent community structure and outdoor lifestyle that would persist throughout his life. The unique culture that developed in this solitary place would influence his appreciation for nature, community cooperation, and the dignity of working with one's hands.

The family's mobility continued as they moved through Sumner, Puyallup, Spokane, Washington, and eventually to Boise, Idaho, following employment opportunities across the region. This pattern of geographic movement reflected the post-war economy's opportunities in manufacturing and resource extraction, providing Terry with an intimate knowledge of Pacific Northwest geography and the varied economic opportunities available to working-class families.

Terry's formal education culminated when he graduated from Sumner High School in 1964. His completion of secondary education placed him among his generation's cohorts who would enter adulthood during the transformative social changes of the 1960s. At eighteen years old upon graduation, Terry represented the typical educational achievement of his era, when roughly 76 percent of his generation completed high school education.

Following his high school graduation, Terry married Cherie Washburn, beginning the family formation that would anchor his adult identity. This union, which began in the mid-1960s, would produce three children who became central to Terry's life: Bill Howard (who later married Darlene), Terry Howard (who married Julie and carried forward the family name), and Katie Leavitt (who married Kelly). These three biological children would create the generational legacy that extended through grandchildren and great-grandchildren, establishing Terry as the patriarch of a large and loving family.

Terry's professional identity became fundamentally intertwined with the corrugated box manufacturing industry, a sector with deep historical roots in the Pacific Northwest economy. He worked for several companies throughout his career, including Fibreboard Corporation, Seattle and Spokane Packaging, Commencement Bay Corrugated, and The Box Maker. This career trajectory reflected both geographic mobility and sustained engagement with a specific industrial sector that provided middle-class employment with steady wages and benefits typical of manufacturing work during the late twentieth century.

His work at companies like Seattle-Tacoma Box Company, which had been "Established in 1889" and maintained "Over 130 years under the same family management," connected Terry to the region's agricultural and seafood industries. These companies "specialized in the manufacturing of corrugated, plastic and wooden packaging used throughout the fruit, vegetable and seafood markets," making Terry's work integral to the Pacific Northwest's economic foundation. His employment at Commencement Bay Corrugated, which "relocated to Orting, Washington where it has operated for over 30 years" with "approximately 200 employees at its 350,000 square foot facility," demonstrated the scale and importance of this manufacturing sector.

Terry's community identity became substantially defined by his membership in the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He was "a 32-year member of Puyallup Eagles Aerie #2308," beginning his involvement around 1994. The Eagles organization, which adopted "the Bald Eagles as their official emblem" and established its goal to "make human life more desirable by lessening its ills and promoting peace, prosperity, gladness and hope," provided Terry with deep community connections and social opportunities. His involvement extended to the "Puyallup Eagles Daffodil Roamers RV Club," which reflected his passion for recreational vehicle travel and the social opportunities it provided within the Eagles community.

In 2010, Terry's career and life trajectory took a dramatic turn when he "retired in 2010 after surgery, chemo and radiation for pancreatic cancer". At age 64, this retirement marked not only the end of his manufacturing career but also the beginning of a sixteen-year survival journey that would exceed typical outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients. The aggressive treatment regimen of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation represented the advanced treatment protocols available by 2010, and Terry's response to treatment allowed him to transition into a retirement phase focused on family, recreation, and community engagement.

During his working years, Terry had transitioned from his first marriage to Cherie Washburn to a new partnership with Karleen, whom he married around 1995. Terry and Karleen would celebrate "their 30th wedding anniversary on May 6, 2025 with family and friends in Puyallup," just nine months before Terry's death. This second marriage brought step-children into Terry's family structure: Andrea Vail, Gordon Boskofsky (married to Jaime), and Krista Bechtold, expanding his role as a father figure and family patriarch.

Terry's retirement years were characterized by his passion for recreational pursuits that had sustained him throughout his working life. He was remembered for "loving his children and grandchildren, his poodles, fishing with friends and family, RVing with the Puyallup Eagles Daffodil Roamers RV Club". These interests reflected his values of family connection, appreciation for animals, outdoor recreation, and community fellowship. His specific affection for poodles demonstrated his caring nature, while fishing represented both personal enjoyment and a means of connecting with family members across generations.

The final five years of Terry's life were marked by his adoption of the "snowbird" lifestyle, "spending the last five years as a 'snowbird' in Parker and Yuma, Arizona". This seasonal migration to Arizona communities reflected broader retirement patterns among Pacific Northwest residents seeking escape from harsh winters while maintaining connections to their home communities. Parker, Arizona, offered "consistent winter temperatures between 65-75°F from November through March, with over 300 days of sunshine annually," providing the climate that made this lifestyle attractive.

In Arizona, Terry maintained his commitment to fraternal organizations by joining the Yuma Moose Lodge, demonstrating his belief in community involvement regardless of geographic location. The Yuma Moose Lodge 1627 provided social and recreational opportunities similar to his Eagles involvement, with regular dining and entertainment programming designed for the seasonal snowbird population. This dual membership in Eagles and Moose organizations reflected Terry's understanding of fraternal brotherhood as a source of community and mutual support.

Terry's extended family structure at the time of his death revealed a multigenerational legacy that spanned biological and step-family relationships. His biological children and their families formed the core: Bill Howard (Darlene), Terry Howard (Julie), and Katie Leavitt (Kelly). His grandchildren included Brandi Thomas (Jason), Kylie Jewett (Josh), Jordan Howard, Stephanie Leavitt, Andrew Leavitt, Spencer Vail, Tanner Vail (Kelsey), Alexia Boskofsky, Tristan Dube, Derek Boskofsky, John Bechtold, and Travis Bechtold, representing thirteen named individuals across multiple households. Beyond these grandchildren, Terry had achieved great-grandfather status with "7 great-grandchildren," indicating that his family legacy extended across four generations.

Terry's surviving siblings at the time of his death included brothers Fred Howard (married to Joelle) and Steve Howard, and sister Barbara Vorderbrueggen. Documentary evidence reveals that Barbara had "married James S. Vorderbrueggen in 1989," creating family connections that extended the Howard name through marriage. The earlier death of brother Bill "Wild Bill" Howard created a notable absence in Terry's sibling relationships, though the family bond remained strong among the surviving siblings.

On February 6, 2026, just six days before what would have been his eightieth birthday, Terry Leigh Howard passed away at Chandler Regional Medical Center in Arizona "after a short illness". The timing of his death—so close to his birthday milestone—held poignant significance for his family. The medical care he received at Chandler Regional was recognized by both Terry and his family, with the obituary noting that "The family wishes to thank the doctors and staff at Chandler Regional Medical Center for their compassionate care during his time there. Terry said how very professional they all were."

Per Terry's documented wishes, he chose cremation over traditional burial, with plans for his "ashes will be spread as he requested". This decision reflected his practical approach to death and his trust that family members would honor his specific preferences. The planned "Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in Puyallup" indicated that formal recognition of Terry's life would occur in his home community rather than Arizona, drawing connections back to the place where he had established his deepest roots through Eagles membership and community involvement.

Terry Leigh Howard's eighty-year life exemplified the experiences of Pacific Northwest working-class families navigating post-war economic development, industrial employment opportunities, and the leisure possibilities that emerged in late twentieth-century America. From his birth during the post-war boom through his childhood in logging communities, his career in corrugated box manufacturing, his deep involvement in fraternal organizations, and his final years as a snowbird in Arizona, Terry created a legacy defined by family devotion, community engagement, and an appreciation for the outdoor recreational opportunities that characterized his region and his times.