Dr. Roger Haley Howard, 90, died Friday, May 28, 2010 at his home in Foley.
He was born Jan. 28, 1920 near Harrisburg, Ark., the son of John Robert Howard and Madge Haley Howard.
He graduated from Little Rock Senior High School in 1938 and from Little Rock Junior College, where he was student council president, in 1947.
He met his sweetheart and eternal companion Kathleen Rose Trotter while they were both employed in the Little Rock office of Dun & Bradstreet. Their civil marriage was solemnized at The First Lutheran Church of Little Rock on April 6, 1942, and they were united for eternity in the LDS Salt Lake Temple on Dec, 14, 1959.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy just prior to the beginning of World War II and rose during the war to the rank of chief yeoman, having survived the sinking of two ships. Following graduation from Northwestern University Dental School in 1951, he entered private dental practice in Arkansas. Returning to the Navy he served in the Dental Corps and retired as a captain in 1977, serving a total of 33 years and having earned numerous medals and commendations. Among a wide range of duty assignments he served as head of the Professional Branch, Dental Division, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Commanding Officer, Naval Dental Clinic, NAS Norfolk, Va.
He was a published author, a diplomate of the American College of Dentists, and a member of the Council of Deans of the American Association of Dental Schools.
An active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served in numerous callings, twice as bishop, and as a full time missionary with Kathleen in Kenya, East Africa.
Survivors include two sons, Roger H. (Kathleen) Howard Jr. of Orem, Utah, and Peter J.C. (Maribeth) Howard of Gulf Shores; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Visitation begins at 10 a.m. with funeral services at 11 a.m. Friday, June 4 at Roller-Citizens Funeral Home, West Helena, Ark. Burial will follow at the family plot, Maple Hill Cemetery, Helena, Ark.
Local arrangements are by Pine Rest Funeral Home Inc., Foley.
