TUNBRIDGE, VT — Luke A. Howe was born 11/23/1925 in Tunbridge, VT, the ninth and youngest child of James K. and S. Marion (Whitney) Howe. He passed away 7/11/2020 at Wheelock Terrace in Hanover, NH. He is predeceased by his parents; his wife of 58 years, Patricia (Savage) Howe of Randolph, VT; his siblings Charlie Howe, John Howe, Abbie Mitchell, Mary White, Mark Howe, Ida Wright, Ellen Hamilton, and Hazel McNamara; and his granddaughter, Whitney Patricia Howe. He is survived by his children, Jane Howe MacFarland (Charles) and Joel Howe (Karen Downing); grandchildren Meghan MacFarland Smith (Derek), Brinton MacFarland, Amanda Howe, and Emily Howe; great-grandchildren Maximus and Rockford Smith; and devoted nieces and nephews.
Luke graduated from South Royalton HS in 1944. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont in 1949, and a Medical Degree from the UVM College of Medicine in 1952. He did his medical residency at Mary Fletcher Hospital in Burlington, where he met his future bride. Prior to graduation he and Brewster Martin, friend and UVM classmate, were recruited by former Governor Stanley Wilson to start their practices in Chelsea. Gov. Wilson was gravely concerned about the lack of medical care available to the valley and proposed they open and operate the Chelsea Health Center. Luke and Brewster agreed, and they established the Chelsea nursing home as well. This was the beginning of many iterations in Luke’s career. He was full of wanderlust and eager for opportunities in health care. In 1964 he left the practice for an assignment as the Physician and Acting Director of Public Health for the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI). His family joined him in the TTPI, where they first lived in Palau and then Saipan, until November 1967 when they returned home, settling in Newfane, VT. Luke opened a practice in nearby Townshend. In 1975, he returned to the U.S. Public Health Service, serving in Norfolk, VA, New London, CT, Baltimore, MD, and Washington D.C. until his retirement. The highlight of his second tour with the PHS were his summers aboard the Coast Guard cutter, The Eagle, a cadet training vessel, which allowed him to see still more of the world (he was fond of saying he saw six continents… “I never got to Australia.”). He did overseas volunteer medical work for short tours with Project Hope (Navaho Nation), Partners of the Americas (Honduras), and as a Volunteer Physician to Vietnam. He traveled to Zimbabwe as a consultant with a tour of Heifer International. He retired from PHS a Captain in 1992.
He had a fulfilling retirement with Pat, sharing their time between their beloved cottage in Safety Harbor, FL and cabin in Tunbridge, which they enjoyed until her death in 2011. They both loved singing and traveled with church choirs abroad. Those who knew him well, always knew him to have a song at the ready, and perhaps a phrase or two in a foreign language to share. He would boast that he could say “thank you” in seven languages, and he often would. He was active with the Kiwanis Club, Masons, and American Legion. He and Pat were particularly fond of the Vermont 251 Club, which they participated in over many Vermont summers. He was active in the South Tunbridge Church Renovation project and was a shareholder and judge for the Tunbridge Fair for many years. Luke loved his hometown and was very proud of his family. In his later years, he delighted in going to the fair, remembering when he would go as a boy, always eager to watch the cavalcade and visit with his many friends and family. In 2012 he moved from Florida to Harvest Hill Assisted Living; he enjoyed his return to the Upper Valley where he could see family and friends. In 2019 he made his final move to Wheelock Terrace Assisted Living and Memory Care.
For Luke, family was always at the core of what he did and who he was. He loved his sprawling Howe Family Tree, and was eager to reminisce and share memories and anecdotes with visitors into his final days.
Memorial donations can be made in Luke’s name to Grace Cottage Hospital, Townshend, VT; Alice Peck Day Hospital in Lebanon, NH; or Gifford Hospital in Randolph, VT.
The family is having a private memorial service.
A private message of sympathy for the family can be shared at www.boardwayandcilley.com. The Boardway and Cilley Funeral Home, Chelsea, VT in charge of arrangements.