116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Wayne Howes
WAYNE FRANCIS HOWES
Marion
Wayne Francis Howes, 75, of Marion, died Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, at Hiawatha Care Center. Memorial services: 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at First Assembly of God in Cedar Rapids. A visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home and one hour before the service.
Wayne was born May 19, 1940, in Palatine, Ill., the son of George and Emma Mae (Brockway) Howes. After graduating from Southern Illinois University, he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1965. On Dec. 21, 1963, he married Virginia Ann Staggs and during their 40 years of marriage, Wayne and Jinny raised two sons, Eric and Cory. Jinny passed away in 2003 and Wayne later was united in marriage with Linda Olexa on June 17, 2006.
Wayne worked for many years as a human resources director for P&H, National Oats and other local companies.
He was a member of the Cedar Rapids Board of Education for 20 years, serving as president during that time.
Wayne enjoyed traveling, fishing and reading. His family described him as a humble and generous family man, who had a great passion for helping others, especially veterans.
Wayne was very proud of his two sons and their many accomplishments, one of whom followed his footsteps into the Navy.
Wayne was a member of Assembly of God Church, where he was active in the Growing Together Class. Wayne greatly enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and will be missed dearly.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Howes; two sons, Eric Howes and Cory (Wendi) Howes; stepchildren, Susan (Grant) Beck, Mark (Ana) Olexa, Catherine Olexa and Gina (Ryan) McHugh; sister, Nancy Wendt; grandchildren, Zoie and Jacinto; stepgrandchildren, Zoe, James, Addison, Adrienne and Darby; and various nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, parents, four brothers and one sister.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family in Wayne's memory.
Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.cedarmemorial.com under Obituaries.
Daily Newsletters