Edgar Howard Jr.

Edgar Howard, Age 68 of Florissant, MO. Edger Howard, Jr. was born November 7, 1944 and was the oldest child born to the union of the late Edgar Howard and Minnie Odell (Moses) Howard. To this union three siblings, Willie, Jessie and Christine, completed the family. Raised in the south end of East St. Louis, Ed (also called “Junior”) confessed a belief in Christ at an early age. Ed was baptized and grew up in the church; attending Galilee Central Baptist Church. Ed cherished summers spent at the country farm of his grandparents in Scooba, Mississippi. However, his summer trips to the country ended when he returned home and did not want to wear shoes. Ed was educated in the East St. Louis Public Schools, a Lincoln Tiger class of 1962, held on to his school spirit into adulthood following the sporting events of the Tigers…a dedicated alumnae. Ed fervently pursued opportunities to make money even as a child. He collected bottles, had a paper route, and did other odd jobs while developing a strong work ethic. As a teen he would walk across the Eads Bridge to work on the Admiral. Ed served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1971 and was awarded for Meritorious Performance. After discharge he worked briefly for Monsanto. He worked for Union Electric from 1972 until 2007. During that time he served in many union activities and positions. More than anything, Ed enjoyed sports in his leisure time. One might say he held strong opinions about many things, but when it came to talking about sports he came close to being a “sports analyst”. Ed was a dedicated father to his sons, Larry and Eric. He prepared them for manhood by living as the example of what a man should be. He and his beloved wife and soul mate, Cynthia, shared 34 years of life together. Nothing was more important to him than being a provider and meeting his “peppers” needs. Ed embraced life and joined with the North County Family and Friends Picnic Group and considered himself to be “master of the outdoor grill”. In retirement he would join the neighborhood “men on the porch” where they solved the problems of the world over a cool beverage. Sometimes they actually accomplished tilling the soil and planting a garden. The garden Ed planted continues to grow in the lives of his sons to be remembered with much love and respect. Somehow, out of all the twists and turns his life took, in sickness and in health, he walked together with Cynthia for thirty-four years. Edgar leaves to cherish his memory: his loving wife, sons, siblings, mother and father in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, best man and friend, Paul Harris; and his beloved yorkie, “Cash”.

Edgar Howard Jr.

November 7, 1944 - February 20, 2013