Guy Wesley Howard
January 7, 1917 – January 21, 2010
The Rev. Guy Wesley Howard, once rector of St. Simon’s Church, San Fernando, died on January 21. He was 93.
Fr. Howard served the diocese in several other capacities, including as vicar of St. Martin in-the-Fields Church, Twentynine Palms, and St. Joseph of Arimathea Church, Yucca Valley (concurrently, 1960 – 62). He also assisted at St. Mark’s Church, Downey, from 1976 to 1993, and continued for many years afterwards to do parish supply work.
Before moving to Southern California in 1960, Howard served in the Diocese of Oklahoma as rector of All Saints’ Church, McAlester, and concurrently as vicar of Trinity Church, Eufaula (1953-1960). He conducted a prison ministry in Oklahoma, and co-founded the first Alcoholic Anonymous group at Oklahoma State Penitentiary. He was a chaplain for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the American Legion. He had previously been vicar of several congregations in the Diocese of Kansas, often serving more than one mission at a time.
According to his daughter, Anne, he specialized in starting mission congregations, and always left them thriving and financially stable. He was an expert liturgist and an accomplished musician, a priest associate of the Order of the Holy Cross from 1995 to 200, and a member of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament.
Howard attended the University of Kansas and received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wichita in 1947. He received his theological training at Seabury Western Theological Seminary, and was ordained to the diaconate in December 1949 and to the priesthood in June of 1950.
Guy Howard was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on January 7, 1917. He served in the military police for the U.S. Army in Bavaria during World War II, and was later a supervisor at Boeing Airplane Co. before entering the ministry.
He was married in 1941 to Ernestine Mae Hodge, who died in 2005. They are survived by their son, Clark (Bernadette) and their daughter, Anne Bay (Terry Bay), five grandchildren, two adopted grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Their youngest son, Kent, died in 1995.
Service arrangements are pending.