Howard W Meadows

June 20, 1919 - October 27, 2016

Howard W. Meadows, loving father, husband, sibling, world traveler and WWII veteran, died Oct. 27, 2016, at age 97. Howard, the 10th of 12 children, was born in Sedgwick on June 20, 1919, and lived much of his life in Lawrence County. He was preceded in death by Viola Belle Callahan Meadows, his wife of 59 years, his parents, Burton and Pearl Jane Whittaker Meadows, and 11 siblings, Roy Meadows, Rev. Cecil Meadows, Ruth Meadows Hopkins, Edith Meadows Johnson, Lorine Meadows Meadows, Ester Meadows Osterhus, Hazel Meadows Coleman, Harold Meadows, Effie Meadows Auman Hawkins, Juanita Meadows Haughey and Naomi Meadows. Survivors include his son, Matthew Meadows of Dallas; his daughter, Mary Meadows Pyburn and husband, Richard, of San Antonio; grandchildren Ariana Pyburn of Woodbridge, Va., and R. Andrew Pyburn of San Antonio; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Howard attended elementary school at Ponder’s Switch outside of Sedgwick and graduated from Walnut Ridge High School, which he walked through the woods to get to, in 1938. He received two years of higher education from Arkansas State College under a track scholarship his high school coach helped him get. During WWII, Howard enlisted in the Army Air Corps on Sept. 16, 1942. He trained at Las Vegas, N. M., before being deployed to Natal, Brazil. However, on his journey there, he contracted the mumps and stayed behind in Recife, Brazil. Howard exhibited his extraordinary capacity to organize and collect information, type, file and serve in an office environment. He worked under the South Atlantic Division of Air Transport Command and achieved the rank of technical sergeant. While there, Howard had the privilege of meeting General Douglas MacArthur, though a salute was their only interaction. After 27 months in Brazil, he returned to the United States and was stationed at Nashville, where he continued to serve until the end of war. Howard retired from the Air Corps and lived in St. Louis and Colorado briefly before returning to school at the University of Arkansas, where he earned a degree in vocational agriculture under the GI Bill in 1949. Following his graduation, Howard worked with the Veteran Agriculture Program, a U.S. Government program designed to aid veterans seeking a career in farming. He worked with the program eight years through 1957, the year that also marked Howard's marriage to Viola Belle Callahan. After that, he served as an agricultural advisor to ministries of agriculture in foreign countries through the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Division. He and his wife, along with their son, Matthew, moved to South Sudan for their first assignment. While there, they traveled to the Belgian Congo, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to deliver their daughter, Mary. Howard’s family continued to accompany him in his Foreign Service career where they spent time in Maridi, Sudan; Sebha, Libya; Gombe, Nigeria; Kano, Nigeria; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan. While raising his children in Africa, he would tell them bedtime stories he made up about the African animals. They often featured a clever hedgehog that always got away from the hyenas and jackals. The family came back to Lawrence County in 1974. Viola returned to teaching and Howard worked to renovate the old farmhouse the family lived in. A conservationist, Howard was sure to utilize everything he cleared from the property and revitalize the land. Much of this time Howard spent with family and friends. He’d pull visitors across his land in a long wagon hooked up to his tractor and shared the possum grapes or persimmons that grew there. He’d teach his grandchildren to fish in the three ponds he built on the farm. Every Thanksgiving for over 20 years, the family would venture into the woods and choose a Christmas tree to put in the side-yard. The tree would be decorated with bright large bulbs and was visible at night from the highway. Howard and Viola cultivated a large vegetable garden for as long as they were able and raised cattle for a short time. Although he only had half a dozen cows, Howard loved to call himself a cattle baron. Farm life suited Howard well and his love for nature and animals was felt by all around him. Howard could often be seen with many of the farm cats on his heels or tending to the bird feeder he hung that attracted many Ozark birds or simply staring out into the night sky and watching the stars. Always working to keep up to date in U.S. and foreign policy, Howard enjoyed reading magazines on the topic and watching political programs when he was no longer able to spend his days working on the farm. Following Viola’s passing in 2015, Howard moved to Texas to be closer to his children. His long and full life was felt by his family the week prior to his 97th birthday as he made several jokes and comments about his age, proud of the milestone. Visitation will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at Bryan Funeral Home, followed by graveside service at Whittaker Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America or a charity of choice.