William Wilson Howard

William “Bill” Wilson Howard obituary Bill Howard, 86, passed away on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at home in Stevensville with close friends and family at his bedside.  He was born on February 1, 1928, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Bill faced death without looking back. In the days before he learned that he had an aggressive form of cancer, Bill walked one and a half miles home from breakfast on roads in his beloved Grand Mere area. That day, like many days, Bill lifted weights, read the newspapers, had lunch with his wife, the former Bonnie Ziegert, read a paperback by one of his favorite novelists, caught some sun while taking a nap, enjoyed a scotch, and savored a glass of red wine at dinner with dear friends in the home that he and Bonnie built together. Bill and Bonnie shared a journey that few could even imagine. Their honeymoon took her to 13 of his favorite countries and a few new ones. He had a lifetime goal of visiting 200 countries; it was a goal he surpassed this spring when he and Bonnie visited his 204th country. Bill’s passion for traveling began out of curiosity for California when he was a sophomore at Benton Harbor High School; he and a high school buddy boarded a Greyhound bus in Benton Harbor and covered more than 5,000 miles in six weeks on the West Coast. If curiosity killed the cat, it did not kill Bill Howard, although he came close a few times. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Parachute Division, and thrilled at jumping out of airplanes. When he graduated from Wayne State University, he skipped graduation, had his diploma mailed to Fairbanks, and drove a pick-up while towing another truck to Alaska; there, Bill sold the trucks to finance his travels, and hitchhiked home just to see if he liked hitch-hiking. That trip of about 10,000 miles convinced him that hitchhiking was the way to go, and so, he embarked on a journey of about 60,000 miles that took him to 62 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.  During that time, he was gored by a Cape Buffalo, contracted malaria in Uganda, and became a mercenary against the Mau Mau tribe in Kenya. His adventurous spirit was undaunted; he had witnessed panoramas that would lead him back to Asia, South America, and Africa again and again. Bill joined Whirlpool Corporation in 1954 as a salesman, and retired exactly 30 years later as a division vice president. While at Whirlpool, he was affectionately known as a “Maverick.” To secure his place among the older salesmen, Bill bought an airplane, hired a teacher, and learned how to fly so he could efficiently visit his customers. On one of those trips, the engine failed, and Bill calculated that he fell about 5,000 feet before he revived the engine. After retirement, he logged another 142 countries, 90 of those with Bonnie. Together, the Howards capsized on a white water rafting trip and endured injuries that left them both bruised and bandaged; still they kept going on that tour for four more countries before returning home. They landed on the shortest concrete runway in the world, an approach that took three tries in high winds before touch down. They’ve had baboons ravage their luggage – one bag a piece on most trips — a cobra slide into the undercarriage of their car, and a rhino lurk outside their yurt. They’ve seen wild animals that most people view only in zoos. Bill loved his Doberman Pinschers, Sassy, Amber, Lena and Annie. He developed the Chalets on the Lake in 1962, and the Pagoda Village in 1973, both in Lincoln Township; when he wanted to learn to play tennis, he built the Alpine Racquet Club at the Chalets, with tennis courts enclosed under an air suspension bubble, the first of its kind in the area. He was an investor in the Boulevard Hotel in St. Joseph, and the Chateau in Shoreham. An avid hunter and fisherman since childhood, Bill collected guns, antique fishing lures, and vintage Mustangs. He was a charter member of the local Ducks Unlimited, Travelers Century Club, the National Lure Collector’s Club, and the Bayside Estates Men’s Club in Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. In 1997, he purchased a Harley-Davidson, and rode it until he sold it in July. By his own admission, Bill lived his life “on the edge.” Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Bonnie Howard, his children Kris Howard, Kip (Bob) Cosan, Kary Faber, Kyle (Dennis) Hughes, Kane Howard, John (Diana) Thomas, Laurel Bell, Jeffrey (Mary) Thomas, Lisa Hassimann, Caroline (Brian) Richardson, Stephanie (Thomas) Rankin; sister, Nancy (Al) Schaeffer; sister-in-law Charlene Howard; 19 grandchildren, and 14 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, LeRoy William and Eleanor Margaret (Wilson) Howard; brother, Bruce Howard; son, Kim Howard; and granddaughter Carolynn Cosan. A private family service will be held. Memorials may be made to Hospice at Home and Ducks Unlimited. Those wishing to sign Bill’s guestbook may do so online at www.starks-menchinger.com. Arrangements entrusted to Starks & Menchinger Chapel & Cremation Services 556-9