Howard passed away quietly at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, Toronto.
Howard was predeceased by his wife of 61 years, Marianne (nee Wilson). He is survived by his daughters Diane (Ian MacLachlan) of Lethbridge, AB; and Darlene (Patrick Sinnott) and his granddaughter, Kathleen Sinnott (Gareth Willows Tribe), of Toronto.
Howard is also survived by his siblings Bessie Johnstone (late Jim) of New Glasgow, NS; Sylvia Currie (late Patrick) of Renfrew, ON; and Mac Clark (Donna); Carolyn Mitchell (late George); Marilyn Clark (Dale Hineman), Ken Clark (Connie), all of whom reside in Prince Edward County, ON. 
Howard was predeceased by his brother Jack Clark (late Teresa) of Belleville, ON, and three sisters, Gladys Miller (late Wilfred), Barbara Kleinsteuber (late Roland), and Thelma Mathews (late Derek), all of whom resided in Prince Edward County.  
Howard was a special uncle to his 30 nieces and nephews and their families. He was predeceased by his nephew John Miller, and his nieces Linda Clark, Marion Cassibo, and Nancy Varley, and his nephews-in-law Wayne Varley and Philip Leavitt.
Howard was predeceased by his parents, Stella Pearl (DeMille) and John Clark. He grew up as the third child of eleven siblings, in the community of West Lake in Prince Edward County, with both the freedoms and responsibilities of a rural childhood and youth in the 1930s and 40s: daily chores, long walks to the one-room school, simple recreational pursuits in all seasons, and, alongside his brother Jack, a summer job – with “men’s wages” due to the wartime labour shortage – planting trees to reduce erosion at the Sandbanks Beach. His experiences of family life, the outdoors, and the community in his early years fostered his work ethic, his keen powers of observation, his lifelong interest in the natural world, his storytelling, and his strong people skills.
Following some time working with Jack on “the lake boats” of the Great Lakes shipping companies, Howard and a friend enlisted in the Canadian Army in the summer of 1950, when recruits knew they would be preparing to go to Korea. Training in Canada concluded with a trans-continental train trip to Fort Lewis, Washington, where the troops “shipped out” across the Pacific to Pusan (now Busan), Korea.
Howard’s time in Korea in 1950-51 led him to re-enlist, and marked the beginning of his 37-year career in the Canadian military. He spent time in Germany – in Hannover 1952-53, in Soest, 1959-62, in Baden-Soellingen 1971-74; in Korea again, in 1954; with the UN Peacekeeping Force on Cyprus, in 1964-65 and in 1977-78; and on international training assignments on Puerto Rico, in 1968, and in northern Norway, in 1970. 
Howard trained and served in Ipperwash, Borden, Picton, Petawawa, Ottawa, Trenton, and Toronto, ON, Valcartier, QC, Chilliwack, BC, and in Gagetown, NB. In Centennial Year 1967, he travelled with the Canadian Guards to every provincial capital. His later-career work was with Ontario militia units in Brampton and Hamilton, and with summer programs for Canadian and British military cadets in Petawawa. 
One highlight of his service came early, in 1953. While serving in Hannover, he was selected for Canada’s 88-man contingent for Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Parade in London.
Another special honour was his 1973 investiture in Canada’s Order of Military Merit at Rideau Hall, with Governor-General Roland Michener. 
Howard and Marianne met in 1955 on a blind date set up by mutual friends and married in Belleville in 1956. Diane was born in 1957 and Darlene in 1958. In their early years of family life, neither Howard nor Marianne knew that in their decades together, they would set up 15 homes in Canada and Germany, and also establish a summer base at their beloved Ottawa River cottage for over four decades, and a winter home in Florida for 25 years. As Marianne often put it, “We’ve had a lot of fun along the way.”
Retirement for Howard meant that he and Marianne had time for cottage summers and Florida winters. In between, they travelled to North American destinations, including special trips to visit Diane and Ian in Alberta, and friends in western Canada, and travelled further, to Japan, Mexico, Thailand, and the UK. He enjoyed volunteer activities with the churches in Picton, Baden, Belleville, and Pembroke, and with the military museum in Petawawa. He enjoyed maintaining connections to military life and colleagues through the RCMI, and the Associations of the Korea Veterans, the Canadian Guards, the Royal Canadian Regiment, and the Lorne Scots. 
Frequently away from home, and living later at considerable distances from them, Howard maintained relationships with his daughters by post and phone. He was a lifelong learner, with a love of books and words, history, and current events, and he encouraged their educational pursuits. He was proud of their university achievements, and grateful for their three years of high school in Germany, which brought them many opportunities to experience other cultures and to travel in a number of countries, including the USSR. Later, as a grandfather, Howard supported Kathleen’s interests in academics, nature, and travel as well.
After Marianne’s passing and some health challenges, Howard made his final home, from August 2022, at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto. In 2023, Howard’s interview about his military experiences, with Canadian War Museum historian Michael Petrou, was recorded for the Museum’s “In Their Own Voices” project. In 2024, Howard was one of the ten Sunnybrook veterans featured in the Sunday Star’s Remembrance Day tribute entitled “Living Legacy of Canada’s Conflicts.”
The family would like to thank the staff of Sunnybrook Veterans Centre for their attentive care for Howard, and their warm engagement with him, in his final years.
As an expression of sympathy, a donation to War Amps Canada, the Sunnybrook Foundation, or a charity of your choice, would be truly appreciated. 
For information on funeral arrangements, or to share memories of Howard, please contact Humphrey Funeral Home, www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.
Interment at the National Military Cemetery in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa.