Reverend W. "Lester" Howard, age 92, of Newburgh, IN, passed away at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday October 16, 2021, at Newburgh Healthcare in Newburgh, IN.
Lester was born August 23, 1929 in Indian Springs, IN to Rodolphus "Dolph" and Grace Mae (Carroll) Howard. He graduated from Alfordsville High School in 1947.
Lester's first church was the Methodist Church in Gentryville, IN when he was 19 years old. The pay was $20 a week. He lived in the parsonage, and a woman by the name of Kate Pittman fixed all his meals for $3.00 a week. When he decided to enroll at Evansville College, the District Superintendent of the Methodist Church moved him to Yankeetown, IN. This is where he met Mary Eulalie McLean. They were married in 1951.
Lester had since transferred to Oakland City College, and, after his marriage, the District Superintendent moved him away from Yankeetown, Mary's home church, to Selvin, IN. It was at Selvin that Lester decided to break with the Methodist Church and become a pastor with the American Baptist denomination. This is when Lester and Mary moved to Evansville, IN to an in-house apartment on Governor Street. To make ends meet, Lester took a job with Briggs Manufacturing, making Plymouth bodies for the Chrysler Factory. He continued to study at Oakland City. At this time, Mary worked for Mead Johnson.
Lester graduated Oakland City College in 1954 with a degree in theology.
After his graduation, Lester moved to Louisville, IN to attend the Southern Baptist Seminary, graduating with a Master's in Divinity in 1958.
Lester's first call was to a church in Hills, IN. After a short stint there, he moved to Centerville to pastor the American Baptist Church.
In 1963, Lester took the call at Monticello, IN, where he was pastor at the First American Church for 14 years. Under his leadership, the church building was built, and a day care center was added. Lester believed the social life of a family should revolve around the church and, because of this, the church building was in use most of the time. Partnering with World Wide Pictures, he regularly showed movies, such as "The Restless Ones" and Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place." World Wide Pictures sent two 16mm reels for each movie, which volunteers changed while the congregants sang hymns. Pot lucks were monthly affairs, youth group, special services, bonfires, skating parties, overnights, and any other thing Lester could think of that would be fun and an activity that would give him an opportunity to evangelize.
In 1977, he moved his family to Evansville, IN, where he became the pastor at East Side Baptist Church. The church building was located on Highway 41 and Washington Avenue. The building not only had a wonderful location, it also had a lot of room and a big sanctuary. Lester envisioned building a megachurch there. Unfortunately, this didn't go as planned. Therefore, in 1984, as a part of the American Baptist initiative to start more churches, he built from the ground up The First American Baptist Church of Newburgh, now defunct. At this church, Lester continued his vision in which the activities of family revolved around the church.
Lester retired from the ministry in 1993 at the age of 65, but he was not happy being retired. He took an interim pastorate with the Baptist church in Olney, IL. After that, he interviewed with the Methodist Church and once more became a Methodist pastor. In 1998, Lester ministered at Black's Chapel Methodist Church in Mt. Vernon, IN. Along with Monticello, this church became his true home, and his true heart. Lester happily stayed with the Mt. Vernon church until his official retirement in 2011. It was a treasure that only a few days prior to his passing, some of the church members of Mt. Vernon came to visit Lester, and he was able to distribute communion to them, and to his daughter.
Lester is survived by his loving wife of 70 years Mary E. (McLean) Howard; son, Wayne L. Howard; Daughter, Carolyn Farmer (Kenneth); and one granddaughter, Stephanie Orth.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 25, 2021, at Boone Funeral Home East Chapel – A Family Tradition Funeral Home, 5330 Washington Avenue with Reverend Tom Wenig officiating. Burial will be in Bates Hill Cemetery in Yankeetown, IN.
Friends may visit from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Sunday, October 24, 2021 at BOONE FUNERAL HOME EAST CHAPEL.
Memorial Contributions may be made to: Mount Vernon Community Church (Blacks Chapel,) 1800 W. 4th street Mt Vernon, IN 47620.
The family would like to thank, with overwhelming gratitude, Helping Others Senior Care, Heart to Heart Hospice and Newburgh Healthcare, for their amazing care of Lester over these last several weeks.
Condolences may be made to the family online at boonefuneralhome.net
Lester was born August 23, 1929 in Indian Springs, IN to Rodolphus "Dolph" and Grace Mae (Carroll) Howard. He graduated from Alfordsville High School in 1947.
Lester's first church was the Methodist Church in Gentryville, IN when he was 19 years old. The pay was $20 a week. He lived in the parsonage, and a woman by the name of Kate Pittman fixed all his meals for $3.00 a week. When he decided to enroll at Evansville College, the District Superintendent of the Methodist Church moved him to Yankeetown, IN. This is where he met Mary Eulalie McLean. They were married in 1951.
Lester had since transferred to Oakland City College, and, after his marriage, the District Superintendent moved him away from Yankeetown, Mary's home church, to Selvin, IN. It was at Selvin that Lester decided to break with the Methodist Church and become a pastor with the American Baptist denomination. This is when Lester and Mary moved to Evansville, IN to an in-house apartment on Governor Street. To make ends meet, Lester took a job with Briggs Manufacturing, making Plymouth bodies for the Chrysler Factory. He continued to study at Oakland City. At this time, Mary worked for Mead Johnson.
Lester graduated Oakland City College in 1954 with a degree in theology.
After his graduation, Lester moved to Louisville, IN to attend the Southern Baptist Seminary, graduating with a Master's in Divinity in 1958.
Lester's first call was to a church in Hills, IN. After a short stint there, he moved to Centerville to pastor the American Baptist Church.
In 1963, Lester took the call at Monticello, IN, where he was pastor at the First American Church for 14 years. Under his leadership, the church building was built, and a day care center was added. Lester believed the social life of a family should revolve around the church and, because of this, the church building was in use most of the time. Partnering with World Wide Pictures, he regularly showed movies, such as "The Restless Ones" and Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place." World Wide Pictures sent two 16mm reels for each movie, which volunteers changed while the congregants sang hymns. Pot lucks were monthly affairs, youth group, special services, bonfires, skating parties, overnights, and any other thing Lester could think of that would be fun and an activity that would give him an opportunity to evangelize.
In 1977, he moved his family to Evansville, IN, where he became the pastor at East Side Baptist Church. The church building was located on Highway 41 and Washington Avenue. The building not only had a wonderful location, it also had a lot of room and a big sanctuary. Lester envisioned building a megachurch there. Unfortunately, this didn't go as planned. Therefore, in 1984, as a part of the American Baptist initiative to start more churches, he built from the ground up The First American Baptist Church of Newburgh, now defunct. At this church, Lester continued his vision in which the activities of family revolved around the church.
Lester retired from the ministry in 1993 at the age of 65, but he was not happy being retired. He took an interim pastorate with the Baptist church in Olney, IL. After that, he interviewed with the Methodist Church and once more became a Methodist pastor. In 1998, Lester ministered at Black's Chapel Methodist Church in Mt. Vernon, IN. Along with Monticello, this church became his true home, and his true heart. Lester happily stayed with the Mt. Vernon church until his official retirement in 2011. It was a treasure that only a few days prior to his passing, some of the church members of Mt. Vernon came to visit Lester, and he was able to distribute communion to them, and to his daughter.
Lester is survived by his loving wife of 70 years Mary E. (McLean) Howard; son, Wayne L. Howard; Daughter, Carolyn Farmer (Kenneth); and one granddaughter, Stephanie Orth.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 25, 2021, at Boone Funeral Home East Chapel – A Family Tradition Funeral Home, 5330 Washington Avenue with Reverend Tom Wenig officiating. Burial will be in Bates Hill Cemetery in Yankeetown, IN.
Friends may visit from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Sunday, October 24, 2021 at BOONE FUNERAL HOME EAST CHAPEL.
Memorial Contributions may be made to: Mount Vernon Community Church (Blacks Chapel,) 1800 W. 4th street Mt Vernon, IN 47620.
The family would like to thank, with overwhelming gratitude, Helping Others Senior Care, Heart to Heart Hospice and Newburgh Healthcare, for their amazing care of Lester over these last several weeks.
Condolences may be made to the family online at boonefuneralhome.net
Reverend W. "Lester" Howard, age 92, of Newburgh, IN, passed away at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday October 16, 2021, at Newburgh Healthcare in Newburgh, IN.
Lester was born August 23, 1929 in Indian Springs, IN to Rodolphus "Dolph" and Grace Mae (Carroll) Howard. He graduated from Alfordsville High School in 1947.
Lester's first church was the Methodist Church in Gentryville, IN when he was 19 years old. The pay was $20 a week. He lived in the parsonage, and a woman by the name of Kate Pittman fixed all his meals for $3.00 a week. When he decided to enroll at Evansville College, the District Superintendent of the Methodist Church moved him to Yankeetown, IN. This is where he met Mary Eulalie McLean. They were married in 1951.
Lester had since transferred to Oakland City College, and, after his marriage, the District Superintendent moved him away from Yankeetown, Mary's home church, to Selvin, IN. It was at Selvin that Lester decided to break with the Methodist Church and become a pastor with the American Baptist denomination. This is when Lester and Mary moved to Evansville, IN to an in-house apartment on Governor Street. To make ends meet, Lester took a job with Briggs Manufacturing, making Plymouth bodies for the Chrysler Factory. He continued to study at Oakland City. At this time, Mary worked for Mead Johnson.
Lester graduated Oakland City College in 1954 with a degree in theology.
After his graduation, Lester moved to Louisville, IN to attend the Southern Baptist Seminary, graduating with a Master's in Divinity in 1958.
Lester's first call was to a church in Hills, IN. After a short stint there, he moved to Centerville to pastor the American Baptist Church.
In 1963, Lester took the call at Monticello, IN, where he was pastor at the First American Church for 14 years. Under his leadership, the church building was built, and a day care center was added. Lester believed the social life of a family should revolve around the church and, because of this, the church building was in use most of the time. Partnering with World Wide Pictures, he regularly showed movies, such as "The Restless Ones" and Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place." World Wide Pictures sent two 16mm reels for each movie, which volunteers changed while the congregants sang hymns. Pot lucks were monthly affairs, youth group, special services, bonfires, skating parties, overnights, and any other thing Lester could think of that would be fun and an activity that would give him an opportunity to evangelize.
In 1977, he moved his family to Evansville, IN, where he became the pastor at East Side Baptist Church. The church building was located on Highway 41 and Washington Avenue. The building not only had a wonderful location, it also had a lot of room and a big sanctuary. Lester envisioned building a megachurch there. Unfortunately, this didn't go as planned. Therefore, in 1984, as a part of the American Baptist initiative to start more churches, he built from the ground up The First American Baptist Church of Newburgh, now defunct. At this church, Lester continued his vision in which the activities of family revolved around the church.
Lester retired from the ministry in 1993 at the age of 65, but he was not happy being retired. He took an interim pastorate with the Baptist church in Olney, IL. After that, he interviewed with the Methodist Church and once more became a Methodist pastor. In 1998, Lester ministered at Black's Chapel Methodist Church in Mt. Vernon, IN. Along with Monticello, this church became his true home, and his true heart. Lester happily stayed with the Mt. Vernon church until his official retirement in 2011. It was a treasure that only a few days prior to his passing, some of the church members of Mt. Vernon came to visit Lester, and he was able to distribute communion to them, and to his daughter.
Lester is survived by his loving wife of 70 years Mary E. (McLean) Howard; son, Wayne L. Howard; Daughter, Carolyn Farmer (Kenneth); and one granddaughter, Stephanie Orth.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 25, 2021, at Boone Funeral Home East Chapel – A Family Tradition Funeral Home, 5330 Washington Avenue with Reverend Tom Wenig officiating. Burial will be in Bates Hill Cemetery in Yankeetown, IN.
Friends may visit from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Sunday, October 24, 2021 at BOONE FUNERAL HOME EAST CHAPEL.
Memorial Contributions may be made to: Mount Vernon Community Church (Blacks Chapel,) 1800 W. 4th street Mt Vernon, IN 47620.
The family would like to thank, with overwhelming gratitude, Helping Others Senior Care, Heart to Heart Hospice and Newburgh Healthcare, for their amazing care of Lester over these last several weeks.
Condolences may be made to the family online at boonefuneralhome.net
Lester was born August 23, 1929 in Indian Springs, IN to Rodolphus "Dolph" and Grace Mae (Carroll) Howard. He graduated from Alfordsville High School in 1947.
Lester's first church was the Methodist Church in Gentryville, IN when he was 19 years old. The pay was $20 a week. He lived in the parsonage, and a woman by the name of Kate Pittman fixed all his meals for $3.00 a week. When he decided to enroll at Evansville College, the District Superintendent of the Methodist Church moved him to Yankeetown, IN. This is where he met Mary Eulalie McLean. They were married in 1951.
Lester had since transferred to Oakland City College, and, after his marriage, the District Superintendent moved him away from Yankeetown, Mary's home church, to Selvin, IN. It was at Selvin that Lester decided to break with the Methodist Church and become a pastor with the American Baptist denomination. This is when Lester and Mary moved to Evansville, IN to an in-house apartment on Governor Street. To make ends meet, Lester took a job with Briggs Manufacturing, making Plymouth bodies for the Chrysler Factory. He continued to study at Oakland City. At this time, Mary worked for Mead Johnson.
Lester graduated Oakland City College in 1954 with a degree in theology.
After his graduation, Lester moved to Louisville, IN to attend the Southern Baptist Seminary, graduating with a Master's in Divinity in 1958.
Lester's first call was to a church in Hills, IN. After a short stint there, he moved to Centerville to pastor the American Baptist Church.
In 1963, Lester took the call at Monticello, IN, where he was pastor at the First American Church for 14 years. Under his leadership, the church building was built, and a day care center was added. Lester believed the social life of a family should revolve around the church and, because of this, the church building was in use most of the time. Partnering with World Wide Pictures, he regularly showed movies, such as "The Restless Ones" and Corrie ten Boom's "The Hiding Place." World Wide Pictures sent two 16mm reels for each movie, which volunteers changed while the congregants sang hymns. Pot lucks were monthly affairs, youth group, special services, bonfires, skating parties, overnights, and any other thing Lester could think of that would be fun and an activity that would give him an opportunity to evangelize.
In 1977, he moved his family to Evansville, IN, where he became the pastor at East Side Baptist Church. The church building was located on Highway 41 and Washington Avenue. The building not only had a wonderful location, it also had a lot of room and a big sanctuary. Lester envisioned building a megachurch there. Unfortunately, this didn't go as planned. Therefore, in 1984, as a part of the American Baptist initiative to start more churches, he built from the ground up The First American Baptist Church of Newburgh, now defunct. At this church, Lester continued his vision in which the activities of family revolved around the church.
Lester retired from the ministry in 1993 at the age of 65, but he was not happy being retired. He took an interim pastorate with the Baptist church in Olney, IL. After that, he interviewed with the Methodist Church and once more became a Methodist pastor. In 1998, Lester ministered at Black's Chapel Methodist Church in Mt. Vernon, IN. Along with Monticello, this church became his true home, and his true heart. Lester happily stayed with the Mt. Vernon church until his official retirement in 2011. It was a treasure that only a few days prior to his passing, some of the church members of Mt. Vernon came to visit Lester, and he was able to distribute communion to them, and to his daughter.
Lester is survived by his loving wife of 70 years Mary E. (McLean) Howard; son, Wayne L. Howard; Daughter, Carolyn Farmer (Kenneth); and one granddaughter, Stephanie Orth.
Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 25, 2021, at Boone Funeral Home East Chapel – A Family Tradition Funeral Home, 5330 Washington Avenue with Reverend Tom Wenig officiating. Burial will be in Bates Hill Cemetery in Yankeetown, IN.
Friends may visit from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Sunday, October 24, 2021 at BOONE FUNERAL HOME EAST CHAPEL.
Memorial Contributions may be made to: Mount Vernon Community Church (Blacks Chapel,) 1800 W. 4th street Mt Vernon, IN 47620.
The family would like to thank, with overwhelming gratitude, Helping Others Senior Care, Heart to Heart Hospice and Newburgh Healthcare, for their amazing care of Lester over these last several weeks.
Condolences may be made to the family online at boonefuneralhome.net
Inscription
JUNE 11, 1951 (Married)
Symbol: UNITED METHODIST CLERGY
