Hartland, Vt. — Donald Walter ‘Juge’ Howard, 70, a long-time resident of Hartland, died following a lengthy illness, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, at Elm Wood Center in Claremont, N.H. Juge was born Aug. 30, 1945, in Lebanon, N.H., the second child and eldest son of Walter Ernest and Barbara Elaine (Brooks) Howard. He married Deborah Sue Poulin on July 25, 1965 in Windsor, Vt. They later divorced.
Juge entered the first grade at the Center School with Emeline Webster as his sole teacher through grade five when the school closed in 1956, It was quite an adjustment for a shy boy to transition from a one-room school to the village schools, yet he endured, made many friends, and went on to graduate from Windsor High School in 1963. One of his passions in life was baseball. Always a ball player, from the time he was a youngster and remained so throughout his high school years. This is where Juge’s light would shine, when he became one of their star athletes. He continued to remain a player on community teams for several years. Tossed in the mix, he was a loyal Red Sox fan. An all-round athlete, he also played football, tennis, and enjoyed bowling.
As a child, Juge spent many summertime hours fishing a brook on the family farm. Often his fish pole was devised from a short stick, a piece of string, and a hook of sorts. He was amazed and delighted when he discovered that absent a pole he could catch fish with his hands. His adventures along that small brook seeded the fond memories that he vocalized the rest of his life. He often wished that children today could experience that same connection with nature.
Juge was an animal lover and a farmer at heart. All animals were welcome in his yard, domestic and wild. The flock of hens mingled with the wild turkeys and the birds. It was okay that the deer ate the flowers. The herd of his prized Angus cattle co-existed with the wildlife. Juge always enjoyed haying, despite the labor-intensive effort required, in order to provide feed for those huge black bovines.
Juge was a shy, quiet man with a tough exterior that cradled a warm heart that humans could not always see, however, animals never failed to connect with that kind soul. Not one to travel or socialize, he chose to keep his world contained. Yet in doing so, he was able to live life to its fullest. He leaves his family a fine role model to follow, and will be sadly missed.
Juge had five employers during his working years. The first three were of short duration: the State of Vermont, Goodyear, and Perini Construction. He then went to Cone Automatic Machine Co. for 24 years until they closed the factory in Windsor, Vt. His last employer was Sturm-Ruger in Newport, N.H. until after 24 years it was time for him to retire.
His parents, and uncle, Arthur ‘Jim’ Howard predeceased him.
Survivors include a son, Jason and wife, Brenda (Bailey) Howard, of Enfield, N.H.; a daughter, Heather (Howard) and husband, Michael Hoover of Hartland; his former wife, Deborah (Poulin) Dion and her husband, Chris of Hartford, Vt.; grandsons, Cody and Patrick Howard of Enfield; a sister, Rosemary (Howard) Spear Morancy, and a brother, Steve Howard both of Hartland; two aunts, Janice ‘Jane’ (Brooks) Lasure, of Hartland, and Dee Brooks of Windsor; friends, Max Hutchins, and Ed Osmer both of Hartland; and a special cousin, Denny Connolly of Windsor. Survivors also include many cousins, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, at the Howard residence, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., 27 Advent Hill Road, Hartland. A graveside service will be held at a later date at the Hartland Village Cemetery.