Simsbury Obituary: Thomas Howard, 77

Thomas F. Howard, 77, of East Granby, beloved husband of Virginia (Narcum) Howard, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at his home.

Born in Hartford to the late Timothy and Mary Jane (Devlin) Howard, he has been a resident of East Granby for almost 40 years and was a member of St. Bernard’s Church in Tariffville. Thomas taught history at Suffield High School for 33 years and was very active in his community. He served as Regional Executive Vice President of the Jaycees and served with the Democratic Town Committee in Windsor Locks and in East Granby where he was chairman. He was President of the East Granby Land Trust and was instrumental in its reactivation, and twice served as President of the East Granby Historical Society. He was Chairman of the Historical Society’s committee responsible for the renovation of the old stagecoach and he and his wife assisted in the restoration of the historical Small Pox Cemetery in East Granby.

He loved history and genealogy and started a genealogy business with his wife Virginia called Search Skeletons and Heirs, and he gave many lectures and wrote numerous articles on the subject. Thomas enjoyed Western movies, Native American culture and was an avid NY Yankees fan, but most important to him was his family, especially his grandchildren, who will miss him dearly.

Besides his wife Virginia of East Granby, he is survived by his adopted son Stephen Howard of East Hartland; his adopted daughter Karen Vezina of Windsor; his brother Jerome E. Howard and his wife Marcia of West Hartford; his sister Theresa M. Hahn and her husband Albert of Granby; and his grandchildren Nathaniel, Emily, Jessica and Kaidy Vezina. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers Joseph and Robert Howard.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 AM Friday, March 4 at St. Bernard’s Church, 7 Maple St Tariffville followed by burial in St. Bernard Cemetery, Tariffville. His family will receive friends on Thursday, March 3 from 4 PM to 7 PM at the Carmon Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave Windsor.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the East Granby Public Library, 24 Center St. East Granby, CT 06026 or the East Granby Land Trust, PO Box 39 East Granby, CT 06026 or the East Granby Historical Society, 85 North Main St East Granby, CT 06026.

See more at www.carmonfuneralhome.com.