DONALD E. HOWELL, age 83,
Of New Bremen, died on Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 1:28 P.M. at the Joint Twp. Dist. Memorial Hospital in St. Marys after a period of declining health. He was born on December 27, 1937 in rural New Knoxville, the son of the late Clyde L. and Wilma L. (Keack) Howell. On May 23, 1959 he married Janice A.B. Wiehe, who survives in New Bremen, and together they shared 62 years of love and devotion. Also surviving are his children: Carol (Mike) Swackhamer of New Bremen, Jenine (Terry) Humphries of St. Marys, Rick (Julie) Howell of Botkins, Mark (Teresa) Howell of Wapakoneta, Scott Howell of New Bremen, and Kay Makley of St. Marys. Also left to cherish his memory are his 17 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren, and his sisters Karen Bower of Sidney, and Cheryl (Fred) Eads of Wapakoneta. Along with his parents, he was preceded in death by an infant son Bobby Donald Howell, a daughter in-law Brenda Howell, a grandson Andy Makley, and a great-granddaughter Alivia Fraley.
Don was a 1956 graduate of Jackson Center High School. He was a member of the St. Paul United Church of Christ in New Bremen, where he had formerly served as a Deacon. He met Janice at a teen dance at the fairgrounds; the two fell in love, and spent the rest of their lives dancing together. They took the family on many camping adventures over the years which created many funny stories and cherished memories. He was a man who lived life to the fullest; constantly keeping busy with his many hobbies including: collecting and fixing antique clocks, collecting and fixing small engines, making hand-made wooden toys, woodworking, and attending various tractor shows with his Wheel Horse tractor as a member of Buckeye Farm Antiques and Farm Power of the Past. He also enjoyed playing cards, and watching his sons race their cars at the drag strip or participate in a demolition derby. As his dementia progressed, he especially enjoyed the daily golf cart rides around town. He had worked for seven years at the ODOT garage in Sidney before leaving for a machinist position at Minster Machine where he worked for 35 years as “Donny the New Guy” before his retirement in 1999. He will always be remembered for his quiet and gentle ways, his love of his grandchildren and great grandchildren, his fondness of his dogs, and for his never ending sweet tooth.
Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Paul United Church of Christ in New Bremen with Rev. Becky Erb Strang officiating. Interment will follow in the German Protestant Cemetery of New Bremen. Friends and family may call prior to the services on Saturday, from 9:00-11:00 A.M., at the church. Memorial contributions in memory of Don can be made to the Grand Lake Hospice (1122 E. Spring Street, St. Marys, Ohio 45885), the New Bremen Police Department (214 N. Washington Street, New Bremen, Ohio 45869), or to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org). The family is being assisted by the Gilberg-Hartwig Funeral Home in New Bremen, and online condolences to the family may be left at www.gilberghartwigfh.com.