Obituary of Forrest A. Howard

Forrest A. Howard, of Santa Barbara, California, died peacefully of natural causes, September 28, 2012 in Santa Barbara. He was born August 13, 1918 in Hood River, Oregon. During his lifetime he lived in Hood River, Oregon, Hanford, California and then moved to Santa Barbara, California where he spent the remainder of his years. After graduating from high school in Hanford in 1936, he worked in his family-owned restaurant before leaving to join the army at the start of WWII. In 1941, he joined the US army Air Corp 19th bomb group stationed at March field. On October 5, 1941 he was deployed for service in the Philippines where he was stationed at Clark field. Following the assault on, and capture of, the Philippine Islands by Japanese forces, he joined other American soldiers to conduct Guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines on Mindanao. He was wounded in action and in 1945 evacuated by submarine and aircraft for treatment in military hospitals. After recovering, he returned to Hanford and continued working in the restaurant business until leaving to pursue a career at a country-western radio station selling advertising and then becoming station manager. After leaving Hanford for Santa Barbara, California, he worked briefly in automobile sales before joining a major hotel chain. In his spare time, he enjoyed playing golf and woodcarving. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, two daughters Susan and Anne and a son, Douglas; four grandchildren and one great-grandson. Special thanks to his two caregivers: Luda and Charlotte; his friend Russ and Assisted Home Hospice and the staff at Cottage Hospital. A memorial service with military honors will be held at Calvary Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 4th. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite charity.