Howard Laurence Faber

Howard Laurence Faber, 87, of Burley, WA, passed into the loving arms of our Lord Jesus on January 20^th, 2018 with his family at his bedside. Howard was born in 1930 to Bessie Evelyn Carpenter and Raymond Joseph Faber in Waterloo, Iowa. Howard’s mother passed away when Howard was 7 years old. While growing up he was a boy scout and attended Catholic School where he had to learn Latin. After high school he worked for Hinson. Mfg. Co. beginning in 1948 as a leather riveter. He enlisted in the Army in May of 1951 as a PVT-1 and was assigned to “A BTRY 597^th AFA BN AFO 46 and was sent to Germany. He then held the position of FA Cannoneer and duty performed was as a gunner.

Howard married in 1955 and moved to Tacoma, WA. He had a daughter born in October 1956. While living in Tacoma, he joined the Tacoma Agate Club and enjoyed many rock hunting trips hunting for many different kinds of rocks, some of which were of value such as sapphires and garnets. He also enjoy hunting for arrow heads. He worked at a printing company and then a ship door building company in Gig Harbor until 1969 when he moved to Browning, Montana, to manage and supervise the ship building company which moved to the Blackfeet Reservation to help provide jobs for some of the natives. Howard lived there for almost 4 years on a historical, beautiful 20,000 acre ranch owned by one of the natives that worked at the company. The ranch was located on the Two Medicine River and has a historical marker as Lewis and Clark had camped there. He lived in a cowboy shake with no running water. When not working, he raised pigs at the ranch. The winters were full of snow and dangerous if you were caught in a snow storm out on the plains as there was nothing between the ranch and the little town of Browning. Howard and his daughter were caught in a “white out” while traveling from town to the ranch. Howard said the only reason they made it back to the ranch was due to just one car that had gone before and the tracks were barely visible. Howard got to know the natives and had many friends. One of the elders honored Howard and his daughter with Blackfeet names. His name was Ahh San Nah meaning “Good Man”. Howard had many wild adventures while living there. He would also help the natives bring in their cattle off the range by horseback.

Eventually he moved back to Tacoma and worked at a furniture company until he obtained a job in Port Orchard working as a yard foreman at a lumber yard. He purchased two and a half acres in Burley and built an a-frame to live in while he built his 3,000 square foot home. Later he then purchased the adjacent two and a half acres and built a cute little home on it for a rental along with the a-frame which he rented also.

Retirement gave Howard more time to go rock hunting with his wife Connie. He also cut and polished many beautiful rocks from all his years of collecting. His other enjoyment was all of his family and his dog and sitting in his cozy chair while the wood stove was glowing and watching the many birds that came to the feeder outside his window.

Howard is survived by his wife, Connie, and her children, David (Simonetta Verdi) Hunter of Dubai, Arthur (Christie) of Lynden, Wa, and twin daughters, Karen (William) Herod of Ohio, Sharon Hunter of Gig Harbor, and grandchildren, Jebediah, Isaiah Hunter, Samuel, Isabella Hunter, Adra, Teagan, twin girls, Blaise and Breeyn Herod of Ohio.

Howard is also survived by his daughter, Peggie (Jeff) of Gig Harbor, WA, grandchildren, Jeff C. (Kassi) Foster of Federal way, WA, Michelle (Luke) Fuller of Gig Harbor, WA, Ryan (Angela) Foster of Fife, WA. He also has great-grandchildren, twins, Colby and Presley Fuller and Savina Foster.

Memorial services will be held February 7, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. at Haven of Rest, 8503 State Route 16 NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98332. 

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